


Yggdrasilian Chronicles Book 1

by FairReviewer



Series: Yggdrasilian Chronicles [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Freaking Goblins, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, transgender character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-01-07 12:25:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12232788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairReviewer/pseuds/FairReviewer
Summary: Terrence's life is turned upside down when a mysterious girl hands him a special sword.Now with the help of new friends, he must strive to become the Hero of Light and vanquish the demon Maladeus.But he needs to gather the other heroes first.This is the beginning of an exciting series!





	1. Prologue: Arum's History

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of my first story, from my days at Fanfiction.net.
> 
> I didn't think it was good, exactly...So after about two years, I finally decided to give it another go.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this! And any reviews are appreciated!
> 
> Now here we go!

The world of Gaia was made by the almighty God. Life would flourish in the lands he created, but they still needed something to govern them...

And so, he created many lesser gods to watch over the domains he gave them.

Yggdrasil is one of these domains.

It is named after the Tree of Life itself, because the continent is situated below it.

As such, Yggdrasil is the liveliest continent in existence. Only one part of the continent, the Malice Desert, is low on life. However, there's still one spot in the desert that is vibrant, the Fertile Circle.

The desert separates two kingdoms, Eterna and Arum.

For now, Arum will be our focus.

It is a kingdom that houses many races.

The Humans of the Plains. Not remarkable, but capable of doing great things when they put the effort into it.

The Elves of the Forest. One with nature, and the most skilled with a sword. They are exceptionally beautiful.

The Dwarves of the Mountains. Though short, they are far stronger than most. Their crafting is the best of all.

The Nymphs of the Ocean. The most talented singers and dancers, with beauty that can rival an elf's.

The Angels and Dragoons of the Sky. Holy and vengeful. Peaceful and fierce. Polar opposites, yet they get along well. 

And the wandering Cait Sith. Quiet, never staying for long. They are stronger than they look, yet the most agile.

For a time, the races on the earth held agendas against each other. Hatred fostered to the point of war.

However, this hatred caused an entirely new being to arise...

His name was Maladeus. A being born from the collective darkness in people's hearts.

He rose from the earth, bringing monsters with him. They began to wreak havoc throughout Arum, destroying villages and sending people into a panic.

It wasn't long before the Humans were overrun.

With the Castle Town being their last line of defense, they were at a loss for what to do...

The monsters eventually broke through, despite the efforts of the soldiers. It looked like all was lost...

Then the sound of many horns blowing from a distance made everyone freeze.

It was the other races, who had decided to work together to fight Maladeus's army.

With their combined efforts, the enemy was defeated. But Maladeus himself was another matter entirely.

No one, not even the Dwarves, could stand up to his power. He felled soldier after soldier, and his victory was close at hand.

But there were seven, one of each race, who wouldn't give up, no matter the cost. They fought on, despite the fact that they were about to die.

The gods were moved by their courage, and decided to give the heroes some of their power.

With their newfound strength, the heroes finally struck down Maladeus. But he was too strong to kill.

And so, the heroes sealed him and his monsters away, down into the deepest parts of Hell. With the war won, everyone was ecstatic, and threw parties to celebrate the victory.

Since then, the races down on the earth have negotiated with each other, and have been getting along quite well. The kingdom of Arum has been at peace for many years, and it looks like it will continue to be.

But the gods know it's not over yet. Maladeus may one day wake up, and renew his efforts to destroy the land.

But when will that be? Not even the gods know...

All we can do is wait...and see what happens.


	2. One Fateful Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence's life turns upside down when a girl visits his village one night.

It was a quiet night. One filled with stars that twinkled in the sky.

It was on this particular night that a young boy of fourteen woke up in cold sweat.

His brown eyes were full of fright, like he woke up from a nightmare. He was breathing heavily.

He took a look around the room. Nothing was out of place, or broken. Everything was quiet.

Still...why did things feel so...off?

The boy shook his head. "Maybe I'm dehydrated..."

So he got up and walked to his dresser, where a pitcher stood.

After a big gulp of water, he set it down, and looked at the mirror.

There he was, with his cute face (much to his embarrassment), and caramel hair that stuck up in the back. His somewhat skinny frame was only dressed in striped pajamas.

The boy sighed tiredly. "Terrence...you're really losing it..."

He walked over to the window, and opened it, letting the cool breeze calm him.

He gazed at his village. Small houses scattered around, each with a little pen of chickens that dozed without a care in the world...

The stars were so beautiful...and everything looked so at ease...

But why was Terrence so...afraid?

Then he saw her, the girl in a brown cloak, with a sword sheathed at her hip. Her eyes were hidden beneath the hood, but Terrence knew she was looking at him.

Before he knew it, he was out of his house, and running towards her. He didn't know what was driving him to do so.

He stopped in front of her, looking a little suspicious.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"That doesn't matter at the present time." She replied.

Then she drew the elegant whitesword from its sheath.

"Wha-" Terrence started to say.

Then he gasped when she pointed the weapon at him. The sword was bathed in a white, holy light, almost like it was responding to him.

"I finally found you." The girl said with a small smile. "The one who bears a hero's fate."

"Hero..." Terrence muttered, looking at the sword in awe.

Then an explosion from nearby made them turn around.

A house had suddenly went up in flames. The warm light was illuminating a small area.

Terrence gasped when he realized who was in there.

"Mr. and Mrs. Edward!"

"Watch out!" The girl cried.

He was tackled to the ground, and a 'whoosh' came as a giant axe missed them by an inch.

Terrence winced as he rolled over to face up. What he saw made him gulp.

He heard stories of these monsters. They were like hounds that stood on their hind legs. Their black skin was leathery, and their eyes were seemingly lifeless.

Anubi...

"I thought they were sealed away!" Terrence shouted.

The girl quickly got to her feet, and summoned a rather deadly weapon.

It was a scythe, with a wickedly sharp crystal blade attached to a gold pole.

"I should have figured a village so far out would be behind on news." She muttered.

She tossed the sword to Terrence, who fumbled on the catch.

"Get out of here!" She ordered.

"What!?" He exclaimed.

The Anubis was watching them curiously. Behind it, some of its brethren were approaching.

"You can't fight them now." The girl said. "You would die, I can see that."

"But..." Terrence gulped.

He looked around. Behind him, the villagers were seeing the monsters and reacting appropriately. His parents were looking for him amidst the chaos, shouting his name.

"My home..."

The girl looked down. "I'm sorry..."

Then she threw a little blue crystal at Terrence's feet, much to his confusion.

"Teleport!" The girl shouted. "Evergreen Forest!"

The last thing Terrence saw was his parents finding him, shock crossing their faces.

Then he was gone in a flash of blue light.

.......

Deep in the forest, a pair of cat ears ticked.

They belonged to a pretty girl of fourteen, who looked towards the south with curious scarlet eyes.

She had straight maroon hair that fell to her shoulders , and was rather petite. She wore a grey tunic and black tights, along with brown boots. A tail trailed from her behind, waving as if it had a mind of its own.

"A disturbance in the forest?" She wondered.

She began to walk forward, but suddenly screamed and fell to her knees.

Darkness blazed out of her left eye for a moment, and the pain made her wince.

Then it stopped, and she gasped for air.

"Hah..." She panted. "Why...does this...happen to me..."

.......

Meanwhile, a hunter was also noticing the disturbance.

The hunter was sixteen, with a body that had masculine toughness, yet feminine charms as well.

They had short brown hair, and wore a brown tunic, with brown pants and black boots. Covering calloused hands were fingerless gloves.

They grinned. "The fun begins."

Then an intricately designed bow blazed into their hand. It was made of redwood, with a string of gold.

"Now let's see what monster was dumb enough to waltz in here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...had to cut things short for a bit because this was originally made on a 3ds.
> 
> It's finished now, at least.


	3. Hunter and Cait Sith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence finds himself at the mercy of a Hunter named Cress. After explaining himself, Terrence and Cress head to the Hunter's home, where they end up rescuing a Cait Sith named Mai.

When Terrence woke up, he saw trees all around him.

He sat up, a little dizzy from the magic used on him. He shook it off, and looked around. He wondered where he was.

What had the girl said? Evergreen Forest?

"Why so far out..." He groaned.

"I should be asking ya the same thing."

He scrambled to his feet and turned around.

A hunter was leaning against a tree, looking really annoyed. Terrence eyed the bow in their hand.

"Ya know," They straightened up. "I was expecting a monster to show up, not some kid from the Plains. And that just makes me ask..."

They aimed their bow at Terrence, who flinched. He was scared for a second, but then noticed something...

"You don't have any arrows." He pointed out. "Not even a quiver."

The hunter smirked. "Who needs a quiver, when ya can do this?"

They made the motion of nocking an arrow, and a bolt of purple energy appeared from out of nowhere.

Terrence yelped. "Magic!?"

The hunter chuckled. "Not exactly. But I don't want to explain this." They pulled the arrow back. "I want ya to explain yourself. Who are ya, and why are ya here?"

"I-I..." He fell to his knees. "I'm just a boy from a village very far from here! It was attacked just earlier tonight, and someone used a teleport crystal on me! That's how I got here!"

The hunter lowered their bow, now looking concerned. "Oh...sorry..."

They walked up to Terrence, and offered a hand. He hesitated, but took it, and was helped up.

"Thanks for believing me." He said.

"Oh, I believe ya got attacked by monsters." They said. "But a teleport crystal? Do ya know how rare those things are? To waste it on some kid..."

"I'm wondering why too..." He lowered his head. "My friends and family...I wonder what's happening to them..."

"Hey," They patted his back. "Just be glad you're safe. For now, we need shelter. And I have a place just up ahead."

"You'd really let me stay with you!?"

"Of course. I'm always happy to help someone in need."

"Thank you, uh..." He tilted his head, giving the hunter a once over. "Ma'am?"

They glared. "It's SIR. And don't forget it."

"S-sorry! It's just...you look like a woman to me. A manly woman, sure, but still..."

The hunter sighed. "I'm going to have to explain this later." He grinned. "Oh well, it was bound happen. By the way, my name is Cress. I'm a Hunter."

"I'm Terrence." Terrence replied. "Nice to meet you."  
........

Terrence groaned. "Are we there yet?"

It felt like forever since they started walking to Cress's home.

"Just a bit more, stop whining." He replied.

"You said 'just up ahead'."

"Yeah, and this is 'up ahead'...in a sense."

Terrence just sighed.

They walked into a little clearing, and Cress grinned. "Here we are."

There, in the center of the clearing, was a hut built for two people. It looked weathered, but otherwise very stable.

"You live here all by yourself?" Terrence asked.

"Yeah..." Cress looked sad. "Used to have a caretaker, but she died a few years ago..."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She got to live to a ripe old age, in a life filled with excitement."

Then up ahead, a flock of birds suddenly took off from their perches, making the two look up in surprise.

"What's going on?" Terrence wondered.

Cress narrowed his eyes. "Danger, be on your guard."

He ran up to the hut, and jumped surprisingly high. He landed on the roof with a huff, then looked towards the direction of the disturbance.

Everything was silent for a moment...

Then a girl with cat ears and a tail came charging through the trees, and she was not alone.

Terrence's eyes widened. "Are those goblins!?"

They looked to be ugly, child-sized demons with glowing yellow eyes. Their green skin was wrinkled and covered in boils.

"Yep!" Cress confirmed with a nod. "Don't be fooled by their ridiculous looks." He knocked an arrow. "These bastards have not only destroyed villages, they raped and kidnapped their women too!"

The cat-girl looked up with wide eyes. "Help me!"

Then she tripped and fell to the ground, face first. She got to her knees, and winced from the pain.

Behind her, the goblins were chuckling, giving her predatory leers. The girl looked back just in time to see one pounce for her, and she shrieked.

An arrow of purple energy zipped into the scene, piercing the goblin in the side and sending him flying away. He disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.

The other goblins looked up at Cress in surprise. He already knocked another arrow, and was glaring at the monsters.

"I hate rapists." He stated, a fire coming to life in his eyes. "The pedophilic kind even more."

The goblins scattered in fright trying to get away from the archer. But one by one, they were shot down with seemingly perfect accuracy.

Terrence watched the scene in awe. "I've never seen such a perfect shot!"

The last goblin attempted to dive into the forest, but was unceremoniously shot in the rump. Its eyes widened in surprise before it turned to smoke.

Cress smirked at his handiwork. "I never miss."

He jumped down, and he and Terrence ran over to the girl, who was getting to her feet.

"Th-thank you." She sighed, still a little shaken. "If it weren't for you, I'd be..." She looked down.

"Hey, it's alright." Cress patted her head. "You're safe and sound. No goblin will be taking ya on my watch."

The girl laughed softly. "Thanks."

Terrence eyed her tail and ears. "You're...a Cait Sith, right?"

The girl finally noticed him, and jumped. "Oh! Uh..." She regained her composure, and nodded. "That's right."

"Why are ya away from your brethren?" Cress asked her. "Don't ya always stick together?"

The girl didn't answer. Instead, she looked away, a shadow hiding her eyes.

"Eh, whatever." Cress began walking to the hut. "We can speak inside." He looked back. "Say, what's your name? I'm Cress."

"It's...Mai." The Cait Sith answered. She looked at Terrence. "Who are you?"

The boy snapped back into attention, having spaced out for a bit.

"Er, what?" He blinked. "Oh, uh..." He blushed lightly, and gulped. "I'm Terrence."

"Are you sick?" Mai looked concerned. "What's wrong?" Her ears ticked.

"I-it's nothing." Terrence looked away.

"Wait..." She blushed. "Were you staring at me?"

"N-no!"

Cress, who had been watching them, chuckled. "Ah...so young...and cute...." He coughed, and took up a stern look. "Alright kids, come on! Who knows what else will be coming!"

The two kids jumped, and turned to him. "R-right!"

And so, the three acquaintances began walking to the hut.


	4. A Little Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence, Cress and Mai talk about themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of an explanation on my inspiration for this.
> 
> This was inspired by a little RP I did on Miiverse. Well, the characters are anyway.
> 
> As for the overall story, I'm inspired by another favorite series, Final Fantasy.
> 
> So for my Miiverse acquaintances, if you're there, I hope you enjoy this. Along with all you other readers.

"Well, make yourselves at home."

Cress spread his arms out, and looked at Terrence and Mai expectantly.

The Hunter's home was filled with the pelts of all kinds of animals, displayed as if they were trophies. It was kind of unnerving, if Terrence was being honest.

A small table was placed in the middle of the room, and had a little tea set to go with it.

"Your place looks..." Mai took a second to think. "Charming."

"Thank ya." Cress said, and gestured to the table. "Well, have a seat."

And so they all gathered at the table, and Cress began to pour tea for all of them. It reminded Terrence of a girl's tea party.

His conscience told him to not mention it, or else Cress would probably stick an arrow where it hurts the most.

"Now that we're all settled," Cress took his own cup. "It's time to talk about why we're here." He looked at Terrence. "You're first, kid."

Terrence nodded hesitantly. "Okay..."

So he told them about the girl, the Anubi, and how was teleported to the forest.

"And then you showed up." He finished. "Now here I am, sitting with you."

"That's the most incredible story I ever heard." Cress commented. "I believe ya, but something still bugs me..." His eyes narrowed. "She gave ya a sword, right? Where is the thing?"

"Uh..." Terrence checked himself. "I don't know...

Cress flicked him on the forehead. "Ya should know! Think for a minute. Ya said that the girl made her weapon appear out of thin air."

The boy rubbed his forehead, annoyed. "So? Why does that mat-" He realized it. "Ah..."

"Well, now that you've figured it out," Mai tilted her head. "Try to summon the sword."

"But...how do I do that?"

"It's simple." Cress said. "Just..." He held out his hand. "Will it."

When the Hunter's bow appeared in his hand, Terrence was amazed.

"Will it..." He said in awe.

He looked at his hand, and nodded determinedly. Then he held it out, and willed the sword to come forth.

It appeared in a flash of light, and he gasped.

"Amazing..."

Cress cupped his chin in thought. "Looks...kinda familiar, if I'm being honest."

Terrence examined the sword.

The solid white blade was around two feet long, and rather elegant. Designed in a way that made it effective for cuts and thrusts.

The hilt was silver, and had a V-shaped crossguard. The grip was round, and rather comfortable. In the pommel, as well as either side of the crossguard, was an amethyst. 

Terrence swung it a few times. He smiled in satisfaction.

"It's like it was made for me." He said.

Cress frowned at it. "Something's funny..." He shook his head. "Eh, we can get to it at another time."

"Right." Terrence looked at Mai. "Tell us about yourself."

Mai looked down. "I...uh..."

Cress shook his head. "Hey, ya don't have to go into specifics if ya don't want to. Just the gist is enough."

Mai nodded. "Well...I ran away from the others."

The boys looked at each other in surprise, then back at her.

"Aren't Cait Sith one of those 'always stay together' types?" Cress asked.

The Cait Sith sighed. "Everyone hated me, even my own grandmother. So I left."

"What about your parents?" Terrence asked.

Mai's eyes got watery. "My mother died giving birth to me. And my father..." She started shaking. "He left her, before I was born."

"And I thought I had a rough childhood." Cress scowled. "Why did everyone hate ya?"

She froze, and didn't answer. Cress just sighed in frustration and laid down.

"Whatever." He said. "If it's too uncomfortable for ya, I won't make ya talk."

"Thank you..."

"I guess it's your turn, Cress." Terrence said.

Cress sat up. "To start off, I come from the Arum Castle Town."

Terrence and Mai were surprised. "WHAT!?"

"Settle down. As for why I'm here..." The Hunter put his hands behind his head. "I used to live with my old man, a soldier. Like most parents, he wanted me to be a sweet, charming young lady...ugh..."

Terrence raised an eyebrow. "Young lady? Wait...so you're a-"

"WAS a girl." Cress snapped. Then he sighed tiredly. "I was different...never liked dolls, dressing up...all the other things that girls did. I felt...like I was the wrong gender. It made me depressed."

"Then what happened?" Mai asked.

"I found joy in all of the rough stuff." Cress grinned. "Working out, beating pompous jerks in alleys, adventuring...Being a guy...it made me feel complete." He spread out his arms. "This is who I am." Then he scowled. "My father...didn't take my decision kindly. That's just putting it lightly."

Terrence noticed Cress eye his arm, and followed his gaze. It was faint, but there was definitely a scar from a sword slash.


	5. On The Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence and Mai go with Cress to meet some old friends.

The talk ended there.

Cress solemnly told the younger ones that he was tired, and they should all rest.

But Terrence knew that something was eating the Hunter. There was something on Mai's mind as well.

Terrence wished he could help them. But what could a simple village boy do?

Besides, he had his own problems.

Needless to say, it wasn't a very peaceful sleep.

...

The next morning, Cress woke the kids up to a breakfast of fruit and vegetables.

Once they had filled up, the Hunter made an announcement.

"Attention." He grinned. "I'm heading out to visit some old friends of mine, and ya two are coming along."

"Really?" Terrence was surprised. "Why can't we stay here?"

"For one, ya are kids. Second, ya might have a sword, but don't even know how to use it. Wouldn't want your deaths on my conscience."

"...Fair enough."

Cress clapped his hands. "Alright! Once Terrence here has changed out, we can leave!"

The boy realized he was still in pajamas, and chuckled nervously. "Uh...do you have any clothes I can borrow?"

...

Cress gave Terrence a set of clothes, and the Hunter and Mai stepped out to give him privacy.

The boy put on the black shirt and brown pants, then slipped on the white coat and black boots.

After a quick look in the mirror, Terrence felt that he was presentable.

He stepped outside in his new clothes, and his friends beamed at him.

"Ya look almost as good as I did." Cress chuckled.

"You're...handsome." Mai blushed.

Terrence turned a little red, but smiled. "Thanks."

"Well, time to head out!" Cress pointed east. "Onward!"

...

"How long until we get there?" Terrence groaned.

They've been walking for most of the day, and were currently on the dirt road of the Plains.

"Stop whining." Cress snapped. "Here's the crossroads, we'll camp out here."

Terrence collapsed, panting slightly. He reached for his flask of water, and took a big gulp. That was the last of it, unfortunately...

"Ah..." He sighed in relief.

He looked up at the sign marking the crossroads in front of him. An arrow pointing to the left read 'North Plains', while the one on the right read 'South Plains'.

He was saddened upon seeing the latter. "I'm so far from home...And I don't know if everyone's alright..."

Mai took a spot beside him, and patted his back. "It'll be fine."

"How far can your village be?" Cress asked, pulling out a map and taking the boy's other side. "Show us."

The map of Arum...

Due west was the vast Evergreen Forest, which they just came from. East of that was the Plains, North and South, split apart by The Abyss.

The further north was the Cactuar Beach. Further south was the Malice Desert.

Finally, the Adamountains were further east.

Terrence marked a little spot on the map. A corner of the South Plains, in between the mountains and the desert.

Cress was very surprised. "THAT far out? The hell kid? Did ya even get news down there?"

"Rarely..." Terrence admitted bitterly. "We get word of a new ruler, or if something goes on with the Arum Council, but not much else..." He frowned. "We didn't know that monsters were starting to pop up...then they attacked last night."

"Your village was almost always in the dark!?"

"Yeah...and it was quite comfortable, honestly."

"I wish I had that kind of life." Mai said sadly. "Not a care in the world... Living peacefully with a happy family."

"Now it's all gone..."

"Hey." Cress raised a finger. "Ya said there was girl with a scythe there right? She must be a very capable fighter. So maybe she eliminated the monsters before they could destroy the village."

"I hope so..." Terrence said.

Although he still felt sad by the time they resumed their walk the next day.

...

After another painstaking hour and a half, Cress whooped.

"Look there fellas!" He yelled happily. "Rael Farms, Main House of the South Plains!"

Terrence could see a wooden wall up ahead, with a gate up front. Standing nearby was a tall sign that read 'Rael Farms', and had a chicken as the mascot.

His jaw dropped. "Your friends live there!?"

Cress chuckled. "One of them will own it someday."

Mai tilted her head. "Really?"

The Hunter began to run. "I'll explain in a bit! Just hurry up!"

"Wait for us!" Terrence shouted, wincing from sore legs.

He and Mai were right behind Cress as they headed for the farm.


	6. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence and Mai meet Cress's childhood friends, Elijah, Satin, and Aurael.

The three approached the gates, but were met by a pair of guards.

"Halt!" They said in unison, aiming their spears at the trio.

Cress held his hands up. "Whoa, fellas! I'm not a bad guy! Now, please let me through so I can meet some friends."

"Sorry, no one but workers can enter this area!"

Cress put a hand to his forehead. "Why me..."

Just then, the gates opened.

"Is there a problem here?" A young man stepped out.

He was eighteen, with golden hair that was in a crew cut, and blue eyes. He wore a leather breastplate over a white muscle shirt, and black shorts. Brown boots covered his feet.

What amazed Terrence and Mai was how ripped the guy was. His shirt couldn't hide the muscles and abs under it, and stretched out more with every breath he took.

The guards had every right to look afraid. "W-we were just keeping these guys out, sir!"

"I can handle this." The young man assured. "You're dismissed."

Yes, sir!" The guards were through the gates in an instant.

The young man shook his head, and sighed. "I really need to teach them that they don't have to fear me..."

"I think they just don't want to disrespect you." Cress said with a grin. "They might be honored to be under your leadership, and don't want to ruin it."

"I guess so." The young man grinned back. "Haven't seen you in weeks, Cress. How have you been?"

"Would be better if the monsters weren't around."

"Same here." He looked at Mai, then Terrence. "Who are they?"

"Just some kids I found. Decided to take them in."

Terrence raised a hand. "Uh...who is this guy?"

The young man smiled at him. "Well, little boy, my name is Elijah. Cress is an old friend of mine."

"You look so..." Mai blushed, and gulped. "Rugged."

Elijah chuckled. "Comes with the job."

"Hey, are Aurael and Satin here?" Cress asked.

Why did he seem...anxious? Terrence raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Elijah jerked a thumb towards the gate. "They've been worried about you for a while. Aurael even more so."

Cress immediately walk past him. "Well, can't keep them waiting any longer. Let's go!"

Terrence found that a little odd, but shrugged. He, Elijah, and Mai followed the Hunter through the gates.

The kids didn't even have time to look around before Cress was at the door of a house, knocking on it.

They got behind him just when the door opened.

"Hello?" It was a girl.

She was Cress's age, and had a pretty face with a few freckles on her cheeks, along with green eyes. A cowgirl hat was perched on her orange hair, which was in a ponytail. She wore a red shirt underneath a pair of blue overalls, and brown boots.

The girl froze when she saw Cress, who smiled back nervously.

"You're here..." The girl muttered.

"Hey..." Cress chuckled. "Nice to see ya, Aurael."

The girl, Aurael, looked like she was about to cry for a second. Then she scowled, and clenched her fists. She started shaking uncontrollably.

Everyone immediately knew to step back. Except for Cress, who just stood there, confused.

"Er...what's wrong?" He asked.

Elijah snickered. "You're going to pay."

"For what?"

"FOR MAKING ME WORRY, DUMBASS!" Aurael yelled, drawing back a fist.

THWACK!

...

They now sat around a circular wooden table, in a modest kitchen just big enough for all of them, and maybe more.

Cress winced, and touched the new bruise on his cheek gingerly. "Gah...ya have a good arm, Aura. Ah...that hurt."

Aurael looked horrified. "Oh gods and goddesses...I'm sorry!"

"Eh, it's alright. My fault for being away for so long."

"Still...I shouldn't have done that..."

"Hey, at least I know ya can take care of yourself." The Hunter growled. "That really hurt."

Elijah patted his back. "Just wait until Satin comes down. She'll really let you have it."

"Oh boy..." Cress sighed. "Where is she?"

"She's asleep." Aurael informed. "Although she might have woken up from my...outburst." She blushed.

"I'll go check on her." Elijah offered.

He got up and walked up some steps to the second floor.

Terrence finally spoke up. "So...you're Cress's friend?"

"BEST friend." Aurael corrected with a wink.

"Yeah..." Cress gave an awkward smile. "Best friend..."

Terrence was wondering what was wrong with the Hunter, then...

"WHAT THE HELL, ELIJAH!?" A girl's shriek made them all look up in surprise.

"I-I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T KNOW-"

"GET OUT!"

THUMP!

A second later, Elijah came tumbling down the stairs. He landed on the floor, splayed out like a rug.

"SERVES YOU RIGHT, PERVERT!" The girl called.

Then a door slammed shut.

Cress looked down at Elijah. "What the hell happened?"

Elijah's face was beet red. "Take a guess..."

"Oh..." Cress grinned. "So...See anything ya liked?"

"Cress!" Aurael was mortified.

"I'm kidding!"

...

A few minutes later, the girl walked down the steps.

She looked like a preteen, with her cute looks and small size. She had long silver hair, wonderfully cared for, tied in pigtails with black bows. Her pink eyes complimented her red dress, which fell to just above her knees, and white stilettos.

She was the most dazzling thing in the kingdom, the world even. A model fit for any kind of art. Terrence's jaw dropped.

The girl laughed when she saw this. "Yes, be amazed! I know I'm the prettiest girl in existence!" She flipped her hair.

Cress smiled, and shook his head. "As showy as ever, aren't ya Satin?"

Satin glared at him. "Ah, there you are Cress. You're lucky I don't have my bow. I would have shot your arm if I did."

Mai sweat dropped. "That's a little extreme, isn't it?"

Satin was surprised. "Oh, new friends?" She smiled. "This should be good! Elijah, pull up a chair for me. I want to hear every word of this."

"Why can't you-" Elijah was going to protest.

The model's face showed both anger and embarrassment. "Because you saw something you shouldn't have! And you will have to do more things to pay for it!"

Elijah blushed, and nodded hastily. "A-alright!"

Cress snickered. "You're never going to live this down, Elijah."

"Sh-shut up!"


	7. The Current State

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah, Satin, and Aurael inform the group about what's been going on.

"Wow, lucky Cress found you two." Satin said once the story was finished. "Or you would have been dead."

"Yeah. We're grateful for him." Mai said with a small smile.

"But still, do you really not know what's been going on recently?" Elijah asked Terrence.

"No..." Terrence sighed.

"Mind ya, I missed a few weeks myself." Cress pointed out. "How the hell do ya have guards under your command?"

"Guess we do need to explain." Aurael decided, crossing her arms. "Let me start. As you know, monsters have been appearing for a while."

"It all started a few weeks ago." Cress added. "Around that time, I was visiting the farm." She frowned. "Then I got jumped by goblins at the crossroads. Lucky I was vigilant, or I would have been captured."

"He had to stay a few days to recover. We began to get news of monster attacks all around the kingdom. Villages were being destroyed, women were kidnapped and raped by goblins."

"It's horrible." Terrence said sadly.

"Ya got that right." Cress agreed. "Once I recovered, I went back to the forest. Somebody had to keep on eye on it with all the trouble starting. It's why I didn't visit until now."

"Well, here's the current state of affairs." Aurael continued. "As of last week, guards were stationed in the remaining villages and farms to protect them. Elijah was put in charge of the two you saw earlier."

"Not that I'm happy with it." Elijah frowned.

"And I'm guessing your father has something to do with this?" Cress raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah..." Elijah sighed. "A way to force that 'Knight's Training' when I'm not even near him..."

"Your father is a knight?" Mai asked.

"Not just any knight." Satin said. "He's High Captain Tauros of the Royal Knights, who is right below the King in terms of status."

"WHAT!?" Terrence and Mai exclaimed.

"I know it's hard to believe..." Elijah scowled. "But yes, I'm the son of the High Captain."

"The noblest knight in the entire kingdom," Cress said mockingly, raising his arms. "With unrivaled skill and power! Praise be to him!" He slammed the table. "Ha! That's just a load of bull!"

"You sound like you don't like him." Mai stated.

"How can I? He doesn't even care about his family!"

Terrence was stunned. "How can one not care about their family?"

"Ask my father that." Elijah said bitterly. "But let me tell you. Even when I was a kid, he was so strict with me. Just the slightest slip up, and he would beat me. He put me through all sorts of things. He called it my 'Knight's Training'."

"Horrible..."

"But that's not what bothered me the most. What did, was the fact that he never even gave a thought about Mother..." Tears leaked out of the corner of his eye. "My kind, but lonely mother..."

Cress scowled. "Why even marry, if you're just going to ignore her?"

Elijah nodded. "I'm so mad at him..." He banged the table. "I wanted to get away from him! I never wanted to be under the command of that heartless man! And yet, even now, he still finds a way to put his training on me!"

"Elijah..." Satin looked at him sadly.

"Enough of this..." He looked down. "We have more pressing problems right now."

"He's right." Aurael said reluctantly. "My family's farming company is being threatened by monsters. Over the past few weeks, they've struck caravans while they were traveling to the Castle Town."

"People must be starving by now!" Cress exclaimed. "And ya must be losing a lot of money!"

"We're okay, for now. But it's all Father can do to maintain order. If I can't deliver tomorrow's goods...Everything will start collapsing."

The Hunter stood up bravely. "Let me help! I can guard your caravan as it travels to Castle Town."

"Satin and I are already on that." Elijah said.

"Wait..." Terrence looked at the fashionista in confusion. "This LITTLE GIRL is going to be a bodyguard?"

Satin's eye twitched. "Do you want an arrow in your face?"

"Sorry, but you aren't old enough for this."

"I'm Elijah's age, for your information!"

Terrence was so dumbfounded, he fell off his chair.

"She's a great archer!" Cress assured. "Almost as great as me! Speaking of which..." He pounded his chest. "Please, let me help! Terrence and Mai can come too!"

"Are you sure?" Aurael asked. "It might be hard."

"Nothing we can't handle together. Besides, we're all friends. We have to be there for each other."

"Then it's settled." Satin said happily. "Our new friends, and Cress, you can travel to Castle Town with us!"

The Hunter pumped his fist. "Yeah! Ya hear that kids? We have our first job as Hunters!"

"Are you sure we can be of use?" Terrence wondered, getting to his feet. "I have almost no skill with the blade, and Mai doesn't even have a weapon."

The Cait Sith looked away. "...Yeah."

"Hey," Cress pointed at himself. "I can show ya the ropes. You'll be qualified fighters in no time."

"Cress, the kids aren't a problem." Elijah said seriously. "But there is one that bothers me...and one, you."

"What do ya..." Cress scowled. "Oh, right. Our fathers..."

"He nearly killed you, right?" Terrence remembered. "Will you end up seeing him again?"

"I'll bet on it...He's one of the seven Royal Knights."

Terrence could feel the weight not only on Cress's shoulders, but Elijah's as well. Their fathers, part of a so called noble order of nights, were strict and abusive. To face them again...it would be harder than anything else.

Nothing else was said until it was time to head out.


	8. Towards Castle Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence and his friends begin traveling to Arum Castle Town.

"Milk and eggs secure." Aurael checked, looking behind her from the rider's seat on the caravan.

"Quivers loaded!" Satin called from atop the ride.

"Horses properly harnessed." Elijah reported from up front.

"Then we're all set?" Cress said from beside Satin.

"Yep!" Aurael said happily. "Let's get going! Hiyah!"

She snapped the reins, spurring the horses to trot to their destination. Elijah and Mai took either side of the caravan, while Terrence stayed behind it.

When the farm was out of sight, Aurael began to talk.

"So let's go over this again." She began. "We're on our way to Arum Castle Town, to the southwest."

"Right!" They all said in unison.

"We need to get there as soon as possible. With no interruptions, we can arrive before sundown tomorrow." She frowned. "But with monsters on the rise, that will be difficult. You need to keep them away from the caravan at all costs."

"Right!"

"We have time for a stop at Soren Village. We have a quick lunch, then we get back on the road. Do not goof off, is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." The farm girl smiled. "Then let's speed it up!"

Then she snapped the reins again, and the horses began to gallop. The caravan shook, and nearly threw Satin and Cress off.

"Hey!" The Hunter protested. "Are ya trying to kill us?"

Aurael just laughed, and he couldn't help but smile.

Terrence remembered something he wanted to ask.

"How did you all meet?"

"Hmm..." Cress closed his eyes in thought. "Let's see...Oh yeah." He grinned. "Elijah was getting his butt kicked by a couple of other kids from the town. I just so happened to be there. Jumped right in without a thought for my own safety."

Elijah chuckled. "I admit, it wasn't my finest hour. If it weren't for him, I'd have been a mess."

"Why were you fighting?" Mai asked with a tilt of her head.

"Those boys stole stuff from Aurael and Satin. Some milk and eggs, and jewelry, to be exact."

Aurael sighed. "We weren't strong enough to fight back...I'm kind of ashamed..."

Satin growled. "Those boys were so cruel! They pushed us to the ground and laughed!"

"Lucky Cress and Elijah came along, or our valuables would have been gone."

"Eh, it was nothing." Cress said modestly.

"And since then," Elijah concluded. "We've been best friends."

"Fascinating..." Terrence and Mai said in awe.

...

A few hours later, they were still safely traveling, which was a relief.

Terrence smiled as Cress and Elijah traded some witty banter, laughing at each other's jokes. He spotted Mai and Satin stifling their laughter, and he swore he heard Aurael giggling from up front.

He was glad that they were having a good time, but...he started getting suspicious. Shouldn't a monster have attacked them by now?

"Guys." He called. "Uh... don't you find it odd that we haven't run into any trouble yet?"

Cress frowned. "Ya know... you're right..." He summoned his bow. "Something's up..."

Satin readied her own oak wood bow, while Elijah made his own weapon appear from thin air.

It was a one-handed axe, with a circular silver blade that had a gold edge. The handle was of white steel, and had a bronze pommel.

Another special weapon like Terrence's and Cress's...the village boy wondered just how many existed in the land.

"Be on guard." Elijah advised. "We'll be safe once we reach Soren Village."

Then the caravan slowed to a stop. And everyone was puzzled.

"Aurael, what's wrong?" Satin asked in concern.

"Soren Village..." The farm girl sounded horrified. "I-it's..."

Cress looked up ahead, and he dropped his bow.

"No way..."

Terrence went up front to see and froze.

He saw the outline of a village in the distance. And smoke was rising from it.

"What happened?" He wondered, a little worried.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elijah step up, his expression grim.

Soren Village was attacked." He said darkly. "Come on, we need to search for survivors."


	9. The Horde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finds Soren Village in ruins, and a horde of goblins waiting for them.

Terrence was horrified by what he was seeing.

Over a dozen little buildings, torn up and smoking. A village once full of life, now filled with the stench and silence of death.

So far, the gang hadn't found a single survivor. They didn't hear any breathing or noises, except for their own.

The residents were scattered, lifeless husks sitting up against the buildings or laying spread-eagle on the ground.

Elijah went over to a dead man whose arm was torn off, and examined him. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What is it?" Cress asked warily.

"This attack was very recent." Elijah noted. "If I'm correct...this only ended about ten minutes before we got here."

"So, what about it?"

"Goblins tend to stick around for a while, either to..." The axe user grimaced. "Use women...or..."

"Wait for people to come across the ruins." Cress's eyes widened, and he readied his bow. "Oh no..."

Right on cue, Terrence heard an object whizz through the air, and a sharp pain flared up in his left shoulder. He gasped, and looked at it.

It was a crudely made arrow of stone. On its tip was some sort of yellow substance...

All of a sudden, his entire body felt numb, and he fell to the ground.

"IT'S A TRAP!" Cress shouted.

More arrows sailed toward him and everyone else, but they managed to avoid getting hit. In Elijah's case, he expertly deflected them with his axe.

He looked up at the buildings, and Terrence followed his gaze.

Goblins, a dozen of them, with bows and now empty quivers, were on top of the roofs. They cackled gleefully, and threw away the bows. Then they jumped down, and surrounded the gang.

That's when the rest of the horde came.

From what Terrence could see, over forty of them had come out of hiding to join the archers. That made over fifty enemies.

His side now only had three able fighters. He didn't like those odds at all.

The goblins charged, and everyone retaliated.

Elijah struck the earth with so much power, it sent a shockwave that exploded the ground beneath the feet of the goblins that approached him. Some were killed in the blast, while the rest went flying.

Now knowing who to avoid, the rest of the horde turned their attention to more vulnerable targets. Namely, Aurael, Terrence, and Mai.

Terrence wasn't able to fight back when he was grabbed by couple of the demons. He was thrown away, and he hit a building with a sickening 'crunch'.

He still couldn't feel anything, but he figured that once the numbness in his body was gone, extreme pain would replace it.

He struggled to stay conscious as the fight went on.

Some goblins had tried to go for Mai and Aurael, but Cress and Satin shot them down.

"Screw you, bastards!" Cress shouted angrily, firing another arrow.

The goblins yelled in their own rage and swarmed the caravan. They ripped it up and shook it, and the two archers panicked.

They tried to shoot them, but there were too many attacking at once.

The caravan tipped over, sending the two crashing to the ground. The goblins were instantly on them, and they screamed in fear.

One started to rip up Satin's dress, and she tried to slap it away. But a couple more came and held her down, and she squirmed. Even more started to come and watch the act in perverse glee.

Cress was picked up, and slammed into a wall. He fell to the ground, shaking in pain. He picked his head up, and saw what was happening to his friend.

"Satin!" He screamed desperately.

Then a shockwave came, and blew the designer's attackers away. Just in time too, as all that remained of her dress was the skirt. She lay there, torso exposed, and breathing rapidly

The remaining goblins got up, and leered at her. They weren't going to give up on such a delicious looking girl. They started to swarm...

Elijah charged in, screaming in fury. 

He swept them all with one powerful swing, annihilating them.

The warrior sighed, and knelt down next to Satin.

"Are you alright?" He asked in concern.

"Y-yes..." She sniffed, covering her herself. "J-just don't look at me!"

Elijah smiled in amusement, when a piercing shriek made him turn around.

It was Aurael, with all of her clothes torn away, save for underwear. She was being carried off by the remaining members of the horde, who stuffed a gag into her mouth. She struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"Aurael!" Cress called out in horror. "Give her back, you beasts!"

Terrence was starting to regain the feeling in his limbs. He shakily got up, and yelled in pain. His ribs...they must have been broken.

Still he found the strength to stay up, and begin running at the goblins. He saw Elijah beside him, and looked into his eyes.

The boy could not only see his own fury, but Elijah's as well. The sheer determination they shared...

Though every step hurt, he pressed on. He needed to help a friend, even if there wasn't much he could do.

Terrence stretched out his hand, and willed his weapon to appear. In a flash, the sword answered his call.

Elijah's eyes widened. For some reason, he appeared to recognize the sword. But he shook his head, and focused on his targets.

The two fighters closed the distance, and the horde turned around in surprise.

Just in time for their faces to meet Elijah's axe.

An entire row was obliterated, while the rest were blown away. They ended up throwing Aurael into the air, but Elijah managed to catch her. He took out the gag.

She coughed, and smiled weakly. "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it." He replied, relieved.

He set her down, and stepped forward. Terrence went to his side. The rest of the horde was starting to get up, and they looked angry.

Terrence counted. "Fifteen."

Elijah huffed. "Not a problem."

He raised his axe skyward, and was about to swing. Then suddenly...

THUMP

Heavy footsteps were causing the ground to shake.

THUMP

They were getting closer, and the shaking was getting more violent. Terrence was starting to stumble a bit.

THUMP

Then from around the corner, a giant, even more grotesque goblin appeared.

Its skin was a darker green, and had all sorts of warts and moles all over. Its face was pig-like, and had glowing red eyes. It wore a red cloth around its waist, and nothing more, showing off its thick torso. In its right hand was a steel club.

Everyone could only look at it in shock and horror.

"No way..." Terrence muttered.

"That's..." Even Elijah was unnerved. "A Goblin Lord."

The Goblin Lord sneered. "Yes, puny human."

He aimed his club at them.

"I admit, you are powerful. But you still cannot beat me! We will slay you men, then take the girls to our nest, where they will work until they die!"

Aurael closed her eyes, frightened by the monster. Meanwhile, Satin was shivering in her own fear.

Cress scowled, clearly furious. "Son of a..."

The Goblin Lord looked at him curiously. "Hmm..."

"What!? Got a problem!?"

The Goblin Lord laughed. "Look! This one thinks it can be a man!" He leered at him. "But no, you're really a woman. You can't change that fact, ever."

Cress was stunned. "What...what..."

The Goblin Lord huffed. "You have some fire...I like that. I know...You can be my bride...Heh..."

Cress started to shiver. "No...NO!"

Elijah shook off his doubts, and brandished his axe. "I won't allow it! These are my friends!"

Terrence took his own stance, although still uncertain. "Th-that's right!"

The Goblin Lord smirked. "Alright then."

He shouted a fierce battlecry that was so powerful, it nearly blew Terrence away. The Goblin Lord then swing his weapon a bit, before slinging it over his shoulder.

"My name is Borg the Ravager! Puny human men, prepare to die!"


	10. Warrior's Honor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah takes on Borg the Ravager, while Terrence tries fighting the remaining goblins.

"Terrence, go for the small fry!" Elijah ordered before charging at Borg.

Terrence nodded, then ran around the Goblin Lord. His lackeys were surprised at first, but quickly became smug.

The boy's charge was interrupted by a sudden 'CLANG!', followed by a burst of wind that nearly blew him and the goblins away.

He braced himself, and glanced at the source of the commotion.

Elijah was in a deadlock with Borg, and it looked like the former was struggling to hold on.

The warrior met Terrence's gaze, and shouted. "Focus!"

The boy flinched, and turned his attention back to the horde leering at him. He took an uncertain stance.

One goblin charged at him, and swiped with its claws. He yelped, and leaned sideways to avoid the attack.

He gritted his teeth and countered with an uppercut, which the goblin nimbly dodged.

Then another goblin came and drop kicked him, making him sprawl on the ground.

Terrence tried to get up, but the pain in his ribs made him gasp and fall back.

So much for saving the day...

The goblins were surrounding him now. They snickered at him, obviously enjoying beating him to a pulp.

One lunged for him, and he screamed in fright.

Then an arrow of energy came from behind the boy, and pierced the monster in the heart, making it turn into smoke.

Terrence tilted his head back and saw Cress, defiantly staring down the goblins, with his bow aimed forward.

He winced, and Terrence guessed he also suffered some broken ribs. But that didn't stop him from fighting.

"I'll show you how much of a man I am!" The Hunter yelled, nocking another arrow.

He opened fire on Terrence's attackers, and they scrambled to get away. But one by one, to they were shot down, until there was no more.

Terrence sighed in relief. "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." Cress replied, looking rather tired. "Now all that's left is their leader."

The boy nodded, and turned his attention to Elijah's fight.

The warrior appeared to be struggling. It was all he could do to keep up with Borg.

With a shout, Elijah jumped and slammed his axe down on him.

The Goblin Lord blocked it, and they were locked once again.

He sneered. "You're strong, most definitely."

Then his muscles pulsed, and Elijah's attack was deflected. He hung in the air, surprise on his face.

Then Borg hopped up, and swing his club downward. The ground shook and cracked as Elijah was crushed by the move.

Cress gasped in horror. "No!"

He scowled, and fired an arrow at Borg. But he simply blocked it, and laughed.

"Weak!" He taunted. "Serves you right, puny-"

Then he stopped when Elijah staggered up. He had blood running down his forehead, but he still held a determined look.

"Huh, you have more guts than I thought." The Goblin Lord was impressed. "You know what...nobody has given me such a thrilling battle. So I will grant you one wish, if you win."

"Really?" Elijah raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, even I have my honor as a warrior."

"Then...I want...to know how many goblin nests there are, and their locations."

Borg laughed. "Of course! And I will tell you this. We goblins have only one nest. And I will tell you the location, and even more than that, if you win this fight."

"Then let's settle this." Elijah brandished his axe, and took a stance. 

The Goblin Lord took his club in both hands, and they stared each other down.

All was silent for a moment, as Terrence and the rest of the gang waited in suspense.

Then the combatants bellowed in unison, and charged at each other. Their weapons clashed, sending burst of wind throughout the area.

Elijah hopped back, then came back in for a side swing. Borg blocked it, then countered with a downward strike.

Elijah rolled under it and rose, swinging his axe upward. Borg jumped back to avoid it.

Then the Lord struck with a sweeping attack, and Elijah jumped to avoid it. However, Borg followed him, and swing down.

Elijah was slammed back into the earth again, cracking it even more. But he slowly got up, and readied himself once more. But he gasped and doubled over, touching his ribs.

"You're crippled." Borg noted. "You can't win now. Do you give up?"

"No..." Elijah groaned, wincing as he straightened up. "I can still...fight."

"Good."

Borg then rushed at him, and swung. Elijah rolled out of the way, and retaliated with a strike to his left leg.

The attack connected, making the Goblin Lord howl in pain and turn around. Dark smoke poured from the wound.

"You..." He growled.

He spun around, swinging his club. With no way to dodge, Elijah raised his axe and blocked.

CLANG!

He was sent flying several feet, but he suffered no more damage. He landed on his feet with a huff.

Borg chuckled. "Nice job, you landed a hit. But that won't happen again."

He ripped off a bit of cloth, and bandaged his leg with it.

Elijah appeared to be studying him. Terrence wondered what the warrior had in mind.

Then he charged at Borg, axe held to the side.

The Goblin Lord laughed, raising his club. "This is too easy!"

Then he swept in a wide arc, and the stick of metal came close to Elijah.

But then he dived down and slid under the attack. He quickly rose up, and threw his axe with a shout.

Borg, surprised and still in the middle of his swing, got struck in his right hip.

"Raaaaaah!" He roared in pain, stumbling back.

Then Elijah came in to get ahold of his axe, and yank it out of his opponent. Borg yelled again as more darkness leaked out.

"You brat!" He yelled in anger, turning around with a swing.

Elijah jumped over it, and hit back with a downward strike. The axe blade went into Borg's chest, making him scream.

Then Elijah slid down, his weapon ripping the Goblin Lord's body on the way. He landed on the ground with a huff.

Borg's eyes widened. "No...way..."

Then he fell back, smoke pouring out of his body.

Elijah panted. "I...win..."

Then he fell to his knees, his axe disappearing. Pain and fatigue had caught up to him. He could barely stay up.

"Elijah!" Everyone shouted, going over to him. Cress and Terrence had to support each other.

"Idiot!" Satin scolded when she reached him. "What were you thinking!?"

"Of...my friends..." He said with a weak smile. "And...you..."

She teared up. "Oh...you..."

Cress patted the guy on the back. "Nice job, man!"

"You saved us." Aurael said in relief. "Thank you."

"Don't...mention it..." Elijah groaned.

Borg gave a laugh, then groaned in pain. "That...was...a great fight..." He grinned. "Now...before I die...I shall follow on my promise."

Everyone looked at him with rapt attention.

"We have...only one nest..." He began. "It's...located...in the forest. Very deep...in the forest..."

"Okay..." Elijah sighed. "Thank you..."

"I have more...to...say..." The Goblin Lord winced. "I am only...one of three...Goblin Lords. The others...are much stronger...than me..."

"No way..." Terrence looked down. "And Elijah barely beat you..."

"Do not....fret...Hah...I believe...in...you all....But there is one more problem..."

"And what is it?" Satin asked.

"Our High Leader...He is the strongest of us all...I do not have faith...in your victory..."

Everyone let that sink in...and despair came to them.

"There's nothing that can vanquish the goblins..." Satin said sadly. "What can we do?"

"There might be...a hope..." Borg's breath got shaky. "The...W-Warriors...offf....Arum..." He turned his head to Terrence, and his eyes dropped to his sword.

The boy was surprised. "What do I, and this," He raised his weapon. "Have to do with this?"

"The legend...i-is...c-coming....true..."

"You mean..." Cress gasped. "I knew something was off with that sword!"

"Terrence has one of the Legendary Weapons." Satin said in astonishment.

"Legendary Weapon?" Terrence looked at the sword curiously.

"Boy...you...a-are one...cho...sen...by Fate..." Borg's voice became fainter. "Grow...strong..."

As the Goblin Lord's eyes slowly closed, Elijah managed to stand up with Satin's help.

"Hey." He said. "You were an honorable warrior. Thank you, for telling us this."

"Heh...boy...you're lucky...most goblins...are not... honorable...So I do not mind you...killing us all..." Borg gave one last chuckle. "And thank you...for giving...m-me...a...good fight...I...have...n-no...r-regrets..."

Then the Goblin Lord faded into black smoke, which was whisked by a gentle wind, up into the heavens.

Elijah placed a hand over his heart, a soft smile on his face. "We will forever keep you in our memories, as a Goblin Lord with a human warrior's honor."


	11. The Two Denizens of Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the party begins to rest and recover after their battle, two Nymphs find the ruins of the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story now being cross-posted to Fictionpress!
> 
> Now I hope this chapter satisfies! Let's get to the show!

Mai collapsed, waves of darkness radiating from her. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes were wide with fear. In her right hand, a sword was held, and she used it to hold herself up.

At around six feet in length, the black steel blade was easily bigger than herself. Yet she managed to lift it with one hand and sling it over her shoulder with little difficulty.

The blade was straight, rounding out at the tip. The cross guard it was attached to was gold and designed like a lion's mane, with two octagonal rubies like eyes. The golden handle had a leather grip, and a red string extended from the pommel, almost like a tail.

In front of Mai, some goblins were fading into smoke, each of them sporting a gash across their bodies.

The Cait Sith sighed tiredly. "I didn't want to...but at least I had privacy..."

Her sword disappeared in a streak of shadow, leaving her empty handed as she walked away. Worry was on her face.

"If anyone finds out about my condition...how will they react?" She shook her head. "I need to keep this hidden...I don't want anyone else hating me."

......

"It's over..." Terrence said with relief, sitting down.

"That was close." Cress muttered, taking a spot beside him.

Aurael looked around curiously. "Hey...does anyone know where Mai went?"

"No..." Elijah looked around. "Where is she?"

"Mai!" Satin called out. "Where are you?"

"I'm here!" The Cait Sith replied.

She came out from behind a building, looking ashamed.

"Sorry...I ran away..."

Cress waved it off. "It's fi-" He gasped and hugged himself. "Damn..."

Terrence winced in sympathy. His own ribs hurt like heck.

Elijah hissed. "Ow...we really need a doctor..."

Satin looked around. "But... there's nobody else here..."

"Then let's see if we can scavenge any medicine and bandages."

.......

Meanwhile, a girl of fifteen and a girl of seventeen were walking across the South Plains.

The younger girl was pretty and slender, and wore a simple white shirt under an icy blue vest, which matched her feathery hair that was swept a bit to the right, as well as her eyes. Brown pants and black shoes covered her legs and feet, respectively.

The older girl was beautiful, and filled out nicely around her chest and hips. Her hair fell to her waist and was also icy blue, and matched the dress that fell to her ankles. However, her eyes were a regular blue.

Currently, the older girl was smiling and humming without a care in the world. But her companion looked worried, and was glancing from side to side.

"Viriden..." She said meekly. "How can you be so jovial?"

"I just ignore the negatives," The older girl, Viriden, answered. "And focus on the things that make me happy." She blushed, and giggled. "Like...being with you, my Master."

"And I told you this so many times...call me by my name, Aquare. You're not my servant...you're my guardian...my best friend..."

Aquare stopped, and Viriden did as well.

Up ahead, smoke rose the ruins of a village. Aquare's eyes widened.

"What...happened?"

"Monster attack, most likely." Viriden was momentarily worried, but then she steeled herself. "Master, we need to go there."

The younger girl fell back in shock. "W-what!? Why!?"

"There might be survivors in need of healing. We can't just...leave them there..."

"N-no! What if...what if the monsters are still there!? I can't...I can't..." Aquare sobbed. "I'm scared..."

"Master..."

The older girl wrapped her arms around the younger one, and pulled her in. Aquare's head was now turned to the side, and pressed against her close friend's chest in a motherly way.

"Those people need us." Viriden said softly. "With the Angels gone...we Nymphs are the next best thing. If there is someone in need of healing...we have to help them."

"You're right..." Aquare conceded, though she was still worried. "But...what if you...get hurt?"

"Then I'd gladly get hurt, if only to protect you. Because you're my Master, and I..." The older Nymph blushed lightly. "Care about you, more than anything else."

The younger girl's own cheeks got a little red. "Viriden..."

"So, come on. Let's go." Viriden giggled. "No buts about it."

And before Aquare could say anything else, the other Nymph had taken off.

Aquare sighed. "Well...I guess..."

She reluctantly followed her best friend to the ruins of the village.


	12. Sacred Treasures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While recovering from their battle, Elijah and Cress explain the importance of Terrence's sword to him.

Elijah, Terrence, and Cress sat in the dining area of an inn. Satin was upstairs with Aurael, while Mai had gone out to look for medical supplies.

As they waited, Elijah decided to explain the importance of Terrence's sword.

"How much have you learned about Arum's history?" The young man questioned.

Terrence thought about it. "Um...I know this dark being called Maladeus threatened the entire land, and the races teamed up to stop him. And it was this courage that led the gods to giving the leaders the power to seal him."

"Correct. But it's not exactly the full story."

Cress cut in. "Ya see, they had these Legendary Weapons, as the general public calls them. Their actual moniker is Sacred Treasures."

"And you're holding one of them."

"Sacred Treasure..." Terrence looked at his blade. "Why do I have this?"

"Now that's what I want to know." Cress crossed his arms. "Ya see...those are the weapons of royalty. So how could a commoner come to wield one?"

Elijah looked deep in thought. "Hmm...no...it can't be..."

"What?" The Hunter raised an eyebrow.

"No... it's nothing." His friend shook his head. "Anyway, Sacred Treasures hold the power to seal Maladeus away, possibly destroy him completely. If he really is rising again..."

"Then it's up to ya to fight him."

Terrence flinched. "M-me!? I...I can't do that! I can barely even use this thing!"

Cress sighed. "Well, guess what? For whatever reason, ya are a chosen one. So are ya going to leave the Federation to die? Or will ya save it, even if it costs ya your life?"

The boy looked down solemnly. "I...don't know..."

His friend just shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, there's not exactly a rush right now. But ya will have to make your decision eventually."

"Like he'd even be able to run." Elijah muttered. "Maladeus's influence will reach all over the world. You will have to fight, preferably before that happens."

Terrence just sighed. How did his life end up like this?

He decided to ask something that had been on his mind for a while.

"So...what about your weapons? Are they Sacred Treasures?"

Cress chuckled. "Figured ya would ask that. But no, they aren't."

He held out his hand, and the redwood bow blazed into his grip.

"A Sacred Treasure is a weapon gifted by gods. This bow was a gift from a nature spirit called Sagittarius. Ya see, back when the Hunters were a thing, Sagittarius was found wounded and dying on the forest floor. The leader of the Hunters took it upon himself to kill the beast that hurt him, while everyone else nursed him back to health. Afterwards, Sagittarius gave this bow to the leader as an eternal sign of gratitude. It's been passed down ever since."

The Hunter smiled, and dismissed his weapon. 

"And now, I'm the next in line to wield it. Someday, I'm going to bring the Hunters back, and we'll bring courage and hope to everyone."

Terrence was amazed. "You have such a big responsibility on your shoulders...are you sure you want to-"

"Of course. It may be tough, but as long as I have people to stand by me, I won't hesitate to go out of my way to help others." Cress poked his shoulder. "That's the feelings of a true hero. Have that same conviction."

That was some food for thought. Could Terrence really do such a thing? Well, he could try...but it would amount to nothing but failure...

He was not a hero.

"Anyway..." He looked at Elijah. "Your axe?"

Elijah summoned his weapon, and looked at it. He seemed rather unsure about what he was holding.

"It's not a Sacred Treasure. But..." He shook his head. "It's strange. I woke up one night...after having a bad dream about my father. And there was this axe, standing right by my bed."

"What kind of weapon appears out of thin air?" Terrence wondered.

"I don't know...but I hope to find out why it came to me, someday."

Another thought occurred to the boy. "Um...do these weapons have names?"

"Ah!" Cress raised a finger. "That's right. My bow was named Sagittae, after Sagittarius. As for Elijah's...well...." He frowned.

"I don't know what to call it." The warrior said in frustration. "It's like... it has to have some sort of meaning...but what?"

"So...Sacred Treasures have a meaningful name?" The village boy asked, looking at his sword.

"I guess ya could say that." Cress said thoughtfully. "I mean, yours is called Bjartbrandr. Or Sword of Light. They're meaningful...because they're named after people." 

"In Bjartbrandr's case..." Elijah explained. "It's named after a priestess, Hart, who tried to hold up a barrier to protect Arum Castle Town. But it used too much of her power. She died, and her heroic efforts were rewarded by naming the Sacred Treasure after her."

"The other weapons follow equally important examples. Varòskjoldr, or Shield of The Guardian. Geirdynja, or Spear of Thunder. They're also named after people important to the races they are held by."

Terrence was stunned. How can a weapon have so much importance? It was then that he had a revelation.

"It's not just the people in the present counting on me..."

Cress frowned, and nodded. "Yeah. Ya got the spirits of the past hoping for your victory as well."

That was even more weight on the boy's shoulders...just great.

"Why me...of all people?"

"I don't know." Elijah shook his head. "But fate is inescapable."

Their conversation was interrupted by someone coming into the inn.

"Hello?" A soft voice called.

They turned to see a meek girl with icy blue hair. Behind her was a cheerful older girl with her locks a similar color.

Right beside the older girl was Mai, who looked rather sheepish.

"Uh...they want to help." She explained.

"Then let them." Cress shrugged, then winced at his pained ribs. "Ow...yeah, definitely let them."

"Well then!" The older girl clapped her hands. "Let's get to work!"

"Okay." The younger girl bowed. "My name is Aquare, and that's Viriden. Pleased to meet you."


	13. Gentle Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a bit of rest, the party resumes their journey to Castle Town.
> 
> Along the way, they take the time to talk with their new companions.

"Done." Aquare said tiredly, the green light fading from her hands.

Elijah sat up, and flexed his muscles. He nodded, satisfied.

"Thank you."

"Heh...You're welcome."

Then the Nymph's eyes closed, and she fell backwards. Her friend Viriden quickly caught her, and stroked her hair.

"Silly Master." The older girl murmured. "You should have let me heal him. Now look at you."

"Sorry if we're inconveniencing you." A now healed Terrence said sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm glad we were able to help."

"Well, if only we could pay you back..."

"It's alright! We don't really want to deprive you of what little you have."

Cress stretched his arms out. "Well, this is good and all..." He frowned. "But what are two Nymph's doing all the way over here?"

Viriden was about to answer, then Satin's voice called out from upstairs.

"Guys! Check us out!"

She and Aurael walked down, wearing new blue dresses that had little red bows on the shoulders. They looked like they hadn't been in a fight at all.

Terrence was stunned. "How...where did you get those?"

Satin giggled, and flexed her fingers. "Fashion is a Taylor's speciality."

"Taylor?"

"That's the family Satin comes from." Elijah explained. "The women in the family have a gift for making all sorts of clothes and accessories."

"Guess who made those clothes you're wearing." Cress said with a grin.

"Whoa..." The village boy looked at his clothes in awe. "You're amazing...."

Satin curtsied. "Thank you. Now," She frowned at Viriden and Aquare. "What are those two Nymph's doing here?"

"They healed us." Elijah answered, doing some stretches to prove it.

"Well then, thank you."

"It was our pleasure." Viriden bowed. "Although...Master needs to rest."

"You're right, looks like healing took a lot out of him."

"Wait..." Terrence tilted his head in confusion. "Him?"

"Ya mean this chick?" Cress looked at Aquare in surprise. "Wait...what the hell?"

Satin laughed. "You couldn't tell? I mean, the clothes are one thing, then there's his looks. He's cute, but not feminine enough to be a true girl."

Terrence was in a daze. "So...confused."

Viriden giggled. "I suppose we should explain ourselves when Master wakes up. But first, we should get your caravan fixed. I assume you were going somewhere?"

Aurael spoke up. "Yes. We need to deliver goods to Castle Town." She bit her lip. "Gah...I hope some of them are still good..."

Elijah nodded. "Let's get to work. We have no time to waste."

.......

There were some broken bottles, as well as eggs, but Aurael deemed the remaining provisions fit for sale.

While Terrence and Mai helped her organize them, Cress worked with Elijah to fix the caravan. Meanwhile, Satin and Viriden searched for the horses, who took off in the middle of the fight. Aquare was still dozing off, propped up against a building.

In a little more than half an hour, everything was in working order. Viriden, with Aquare in her arms, went inside the caravan. Aurael went up front, while everyone else sat with the Nymphs.

The farm girl looked back at them with a smile. "Ready to roll?"

"Yes, ma'am!" They said in unison.

"Then here we go! Full speed ahead!"

With a mighty snap of the reins, the horses took off at breakneck speed, causing their passengers to scream as they and the cargo were thrown backward. If it weren't for Elijah getting in the way, everyone would have flown out of the caravan.

Aquare was woken up by the commotion, and he yelped in fright

"What's going on!?" He cried.

"Aurael!" Cress screamed furiously. "Are ya crazy!?"

His friend just laughed, the rushing air blowing her hair back.

Once everyone had recovered from that fiasco, Elijah decided to question the two newcomers.

"So why are you so far from home?"

Aquare sighed. "I suppose I should explain." He placed a hand over his heart. "I am Prince Aquare II, heir to the Nymph throne. Viriden is my servant whose family has been watching over mine for generations."

"The Crown Prince!?" Cress exclaimed. "I knew your name was a bit familiar! What the hell are ya doing out of the castle!?"

"Well...you know about the recent appearances of monsters all around the land. The Council suspects that Maladeus is starting his return."

"Master was sent by the Queen to Arum Castle Town." Viriden cut in. "The heirs to the Elf and Dwarf thrones were sent as well. It's time to gather the Heroes of Arum."

"I figured as much." Elijah nodded. Then he frowned. "But even when you meet up...the other four are still missing."

"The Human, Cait Sith, Angel, and Dragoon representatives." Aquare sighed. "You guys don't have a representative, and neither do the Cait Sith. At least, from what the King Randolph and Chieftess Bella said."

Mai winced at the name 'Bella', which caused everyone to look at her in concern.

"I'm fine..." She waved them off. "Continue."

Although they knew something was off, they decided to respect her wishes. Elijah continued the conversation with an important fact.

"About the Human representative..." He glanced at Terrence.

The boy nodded, and held out his hand. Bjartbrandr flashed into his hand, startling Aquare and Viriden.

"No way...a village boy with the Sword of Light?" Aquare said in surprise. "Impossible...what's going on?"

"Believe me, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." Terrence said in disbelief. "But...I feel like it's something I should be remembering..."

"I have my suspicions..." Elijah muttered. "And they might be true...but we won't know until we meet with the king."

"Well, no matter." Aquare said. "We have our Human. But the Angel and Dragoon...They're...dead, aren't they?"

"What?" Terrence tilted his head. "Dead?"

"Oh, right, you rarely get news like this." Cress remembered. "Well, around the time monsters appeared, an Angel and her Dragoon partner fell from the sky one night, and landed in Castle Town."

"They had serious wounds..." Elijah said grimly. "The doctors couldn't patch them up. But with their final breaths, they said that demons attack Skyland. An ambush in the dead of night...Not even the Dragoons could overcome it."

"So...we don't have the other two heroes..." Aquare concluded sadly. "Not only that, two entire races went extinct..."

"There will only be four of us, if the Cait Siths don't get a representative..." Terrence said solemnly. "It will be impossible to beat Maladeus..."

"To be honest...I was thinking the same thing. I'm...sc-scared of what will happen."

The Nymph prince curled up on the floor, putting his head on Viriden's lap. He sobbed.

"I don't WANT this." He cried. "I don't like violence, not one bit. Just the thought of getting hurt makes me sick!"

"Master..." Viriden stroked his hair, looking rather sad.

"I'm not strong...I'm not cut out for this...All I want is a peaceful village life with Viriden. Not having to worry about the dangers of the world, just living every day happy and safe..."

"You know that's just selfish..."

"I know...but what else can I do? I'm too weak to fight. I can't even call upon Varòskjoldr. It rejected me, because I'm not fit to wield it."

"But...Does your mother believe in you?" Terrence asked suddenly.

Aquare was surprised. "What..."

"Surely...your mother must think of you as a hero, if she still sent you to represent the Nymphs." The village boy looked at his sword. "My mother...I'm sure she would believe in me. Even if I am pathetic."

"My mother..."

"Master." Viriden smiled. "Queen Coraline could have chosen anyone in the family to be the heir and hero. Yet, she chose you. She does believe that you can be a great prince who will help secure peace and prosperity."

"...You think so?"

"Master, you have a kind heart. It just needs time to grow. I know you'll find your resolve one day, and become a hero worthy of praise."

She leaned down, and pecked his cheek. And at that moment, Terrence knew that he was witnessing a bond tempered by years of closeness. A love between a prince and his servant.

"So please," Viriden begged. "Do your best to move forward, even in the darkest times."

"Viriden..." Aquare took a deep breath, and nodded. "I promise, that I'll try."


	14. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party arrives at Castle Town, and goes to meet with King Randolph XIII.

They arrived the next day, just before sunset.

In front of them was a towering wall of white stone, with a wooden gate being the only entry point. Standing in front of it was a pair of guards.

They did a quick checkup of the goods, and permitted them to go inside. Terrence couldn't help but notice how wary they looked. But after what he had been through...he couldn't blame them.

...

"Alright!" Aurael said as she placed the last box down. "Business is open!"

She flipped the sign hanging on the Rael Farms stall, then shouted out to a very expetant crowd.

"Come and get them while supplies last! We've been through a lot to get these over here!"

She yelped when the citizens swarmed her, handing over handful after handful of coins.

Terrence was shocked. "Oh gods and goddesses...what's with them?"

Cress chuckled. "If ya were deprived of quality food for weeks, you'd turn ravenous."

After a while, Aurael managed to take control of the situation. She looked back at Cress with a dazzling smile.

"I got this!" She said happily. "You can go enjoy yourselves!"

"Ya sure ya don't need help?" He asked in concern.

"We have her back." Elijah assured.

"Leave it to us!" Satin winked.

Aurael shook her head. "No way, you take time off too. You worked so hard, after all."

She turned her attention back to the excited customers.

Elijah frowned, but nodded. "Fine."

"I do need to visit my family." Satin remembered.

"Then what are we going to do?" Terrence asked.

"I need to go to the castle." Aquare informed. "The other heroes should be there already. I'm really late..."

"As a matter of fact, we have business at the castle as well." Elijah looked at Terrence.

The boy was surprised. "What?"

"Oh yeah..." Cress remembered. "He is a hero, isn't he? That means he has to meet with the others."

"Oh, right..." Terrence sighed. "Well, no turning back, I guess."

"We'll be with ya. Right Mai?"

The Cait Sith, who was deep in thought, jumped. She looked at Cress, and nodded.

"Y-yeah. I'll be there."

Terrence smiled. "Thanks."

Viriden clapped her hands together. "Okay! Then let's get going! King Randolph will be happy to know that the Hero of the Human race has arrived!"

...

Despite the burden on his shoulders, Terrence did his best to ignore it.

Instead, he focused on Elijah's explanation on the magnificent Arum Castle Town.

"It is divided between seven districts." The warrior said. "Guarding the districts are the Seven Royal Knights, who each lead cohorts of one hundred soldiers."

"And your father is the leader of the Royal Knights?" Terrence asked.

Elijah grimaced. "Yeah, he's the High Captian. So not only does he lead his own cohort, he can order the other cohorts as well." He shook his head. "But that's enough of that." He smiled. "Let's just enjoy the sights, alright?"

Terrence regretted bringing Elijah's father up.

Still, he took a look around as they walked to the castle.

The streets of Castle Town were wide enough to accommodate the thousands of people who lived there. There was a bit of cramming, but overall, it was still a comfortable walk.

There were stalls where people would sell everything from jewelry, to odd items like glass eyes. Terrence even saw wind chimes designed like those fish he had read about.

"So weird..." He muttered.

Aquare and Viriden looked furious. "They are beautiful!"

Feeling a malevolent intent, the village boy shut up.

...

"Here we are." Elijah announced, looking up at the castle.

"Whoa..." Terrence said in awe.

The castle was a marvel to look at. It was a colossal building made of white stone, with four towers as its corners. On top of the black roofs, red Federation flags waved in the soft wind.

"Stop your gawking." Cress scolded. "This isn't a tour."

"R-right." Terrence said hastily. "Let's go in."

They were stopped by another pair of guards.

"Halt!" One of them said, raising his hand. "What business do you have?"

"I am Prince Aquare II of the Nymphs." Aquare announced. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

The other guard nodded. "Of course. Please come inside, the king has been waiting for a while."

"However," The first guard cut in. "These commoners must stay out."

Aquare gestured to his friends. "With all due respect, these are my friends. They have business here as well. So please, allow them to go in."

"Well...gah." The guard shook his head. "Fine. Just make sure we're not blamed if anything bad happens."

And with that, the party was permitted to step inside the castle.

...

The War Room was mainly used for meetings between the rulers of Arum's kingdoms. These rulers formed the Council, who often met to discuss trades and the stability of the kingdoms.

Now, however, there were more dire things to discuss...

"Why are my son and his retainer not here yet?" A woman asked.

"And my daughter as well?" A man added.

King Randolph XIII sighed tiredly. "I don't know..."

He was an aging man around fifty years of age. His gradually whitening hair was curly, and reached his shoulders. With his bushy beard and red cape over his white armor, he looked like a regal Santa Claus.

He looked accross the table to see the mirrors that showed his fellow Council members: King Lief VI, Queen Coraline VII, and King Hearthstone V.

Lief was like any Elf. He had a handsome face, pointed ears, and a composed manner. His golden hair was combed to perfection, and his jade tunic and white tights were clean and devoid of wrinkles.

Despite his seemingly polite facade, Randolph recognized the piercing look he had in his green eyes. He was close to being furious...

"If anything happened to her..." There was a slight edge in the Elf's tone.

Randolph quickly turned his attention to Coraline.

The Queen of the Nymphs was a beautiful woman, with icy blue hair hair and eyes. Her long locks reached her ankles, and she had a little white bow on top of her head. Her sea green dress was very frilly and stopped just past her knees.

With an everlasting smile, she could make anyone fall for her. But right now...she was staring at King Randolph in a rather...eerie manner.

And anybody who got to know Coraline would find out just how deadly she could be.

"My son better be here soon..." She said dangerously.

The Human and Elf shivered slightly.

"Yikes..." The King of Dwarves muttered.

Hearthstone V, like all Dwarves, was rather short, only reaching to right below Randolph's chest. And that was actually tall for his kind.

The Dwarf King had only a stubble of black hair on his head and chin. Dwarf hair could actually be quite long, but they mostly kept it short so it wouldn't get in the way of their work.

Currently, he wore a white muscle shirt and black shorts. The only sign of his high status was the golden ring on his right index finger, which had the royal crest on it.

Normally, Hearthstone was very jovial and bursting with confidence. But even he couldn't help but cringe at Coraline's more lethal side.

Randolph decided to continue the conversation.

"Anyway..." He coughed. "It is a long walk from your kingdoms, it's natural for them to be taking awhile to arrive." He put up a nervous smile. "You two are just worrying too much."

To his relief, Lief nodded in agreement. "You're right...but what father doesn't worry about their daughter?"

"And what mother doesn't worry about their son?" Coraline added, now without any trace of malice.

"Parents have the right to be worried about their kids." Hearthstone agreed. " But there are times where we should believe that they'll be alright." He beamed. "My kid isn't here yet, but that doesn't mean I should worry. He's strong, like me, like our ancestors before us."

"Heh...that's right. I believe in my son."

"And I believe in my daughter." Lief said with a small smile.

Randolph smiled as well, but...his was traced with sadness.

"I wonder where he is..." He muttered.

BANG BANG BANG

"Who's that?" Hearthstone wondered.

"It might be the children." Randolph guessed. "Come in!"

Prince Aquare II of the Nymphs entered, along with his retainer, although they weren't followed by the Elf and Dwarf heirs...

Instead, it was Captain Tauros's son Elijah, and...a young person that Randolph could have sworn he saw somewhere else before.

And behind those two were a young Cait Sith girl and...an oddly familiar boy...

Suddenly, the Human King felt a strange tug in his heart...

Randolph's eyes widened. "Who are..."

The boy was taken aback. "Uh...what's wrong?"

The old man stared at him with gradually watering eyes. He remembered a boy with similar features to the one standing there. From his face, to his eyes, down to the height and build.

The only thing different was his hair color, which was caramel instead of dark brown.

"You look almost exactly like him..." Randolph said in awe.

"L-like who?"

"Tell me, what is your name?"

"My name..." The boy took a deep breath. "It's Terrence."

"Terrence..." The Human King sighed. "You're not Stephan..."

"Wait, Stephan!?" Terrence looked shocked.

"What? Do you know him?"

"Y-yes, sir. Well...that's my father's name..."

"It can't be..." Randolph's eyes narrowed. "The sword, do you have it?"

Terrence nodded, and held out his hand.

In a flash, Bjartbrandr appeared in his grip, and the old man's suspicion was confirmed.

"It's true...it really is true..."

"What is?" The boy asked, confused.

"You boy..." Randolph smiled. "You...you really have no idea?"

The boy shook his head.

"Heh...your father is my son..."

"Wait...what?" Cress raised an eyebrow.

"I knew it." Elijah crossed his arms.

"Huh!?" Terrence was taken aback. "W-what's going on here?"

"My boy..." Randolph smiled. "Your father was Prince Stephan V. You are his son. And that makes you my grandson." He spread out his arms. "You are the Prince of the Human race."


	15. A Gathering of Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Cid X crashes into the meeting. However, it turns out the Elf Princess has been captured by goblins...

Terrence couldn't believe it. He was...a prince?

"No way..." He muttered. "My father...he kept this from me for years...why?"

"Now wait just a minute." Cress raised a hand. "If he is the Prince of the Human race...why the hell was his family in some village in the middle of nowhere?"

"I can't claim to know Stephan's motives." King Randolph shook his head. "But one night, he and his retainer ran away. They weren't seen, ever again."

"And with the signs of Maladeus's return, you had no idea on what to do."

"Yes...then the Overseer, Wendy, took up the task of finding the lost prince. The sword glowed when it was pointed in a certain direction, like a compass."

"And that's how I was found." Terrence concluded. "Well, I'm here now. I might not be strong, but I will be your hero. Not like I have a choice, really."

"Thank you." Randolph said tearfully. "We actually stand a chance now...But boy, where's Stephan?"

"I...don't know...last I saw, he and my mother were caught up in a monster attack. But, that girl, the Overseer, she was there fighting them."

"Oh my...I pray my son is safe."

After a moment of silence, Aquare spoke up.

"Milord, where are the others?"

"Oh, yes." Randolph coughed. "They're late. Well, nothing to fear, I think."

"Is that you, Aquare?" Coraline's voice called from one of the mirrors. "Come here! I missed you!"

"Mother!" Aqaure cried, running over to the mirror. "It's me! I missed you too!"

Viriden smiled as she watched her master speak with his mother.

"I'm glad that you're happy, Master." She thought out loud.

While the mother and son had their reunion, Elijah spoke to Randolph.

"Milord, we have a bit of situation."

"Well, Elijah, what is it?" The king asked.

"We found out that the goblins have made their home deep in the forest. If some people could be sent to take care of it..."

"Of course. When this meeting is over, I shall send Tarnac to deal with it."

"Thank you."

Just then, there was a 'bang', as the doors were sent flying in opposite directions, surprising everyone in the room and making them duck.

"What the hell!?" Cress exclaimed.

A jovial laugh echoed throughout the room.

"I made it just in time!"

Crashing the meeting was a Dwarf around eighteen years of age. He stood only four feet tall, but his body was pure muscle. The top of his head was completely bald, but he had a bit of black stubble around his face.

Though he wore a white muscle shirt and a pair of brown shorts, he had the royal crest on the silver ring he wore around his right index finger.

This was proof that he was...

"Welcome, Prince Cid X." Randolph greeted with some relief. "I'm glad you could make it."

Cid grinned, and pounded his chest. "I wouldn't miss something like this!"

King Hearthstone laughed. "That's my son!"

"Father!" Cid ran up to his father's mirror. "It's nice to see you!"

"You too! Now, are you ready to bash some heads?"

"Hell yeah, I am!"

The two royals laughed out loud together, and everyone else sweat dropped.

"Are they really royalty?" Cress questioned in disbelief.

"So," Cid turned to the party. "You're my comrades, eh?" He eyed Terrence and Aquare. "So, the Human Prince was found, good. And nice to see you again, Aquare."

"You too, Cid." Aquare replied.

"Hey...where's Lorica?"

"I'm afraid she isn't here yet..."

King Lief sighed. "It's strange...she should have been here first..."

At that moment, an Elven soldier came dashing into the room, stopping in front of Lief.

"Milord..." He panted. "I'm sorry...but..."

He fell to his knees, and took big gulps of air. Lief, meanwhile, was looking down at him with piercing eyes. It was clear the Elf King was barely containing his anger.

"What...happened?" He asked.

The soldier composed himself, and stood up.

"Milord, we were ambushed by goblins on our way through the forest. Lorica...she was taken by them."

Lief was silent as he processed this information. Then suddenly, he waved his hand, and his image disappeared from the mirror.

The soldier covered his face. "How could I have let this happen?"

King Randolph scowled. "You said the forest, correct?"

"Y-yes, King Randolph."

"Well then..." He looked at Terrence. "I believe...this is a job for you."

Terrence was taken aback. "Wait, what?"

Elijah crossed his arms. "What he means is, we're going to rescue Princess Lorica."

"Why us?"

Cid scowled. "Lad, Lorica is our comrade. You don't just leave a comrade to die."

"But Tarnac was supposed to deal with the goblins. Most of us don't even have the fighting experience to take on these things."

Aquare looked down sadly, and muttered. "If only I had strength..."

Randolph sighed. "True..." He smiled. "That's why this is the perfect opportunity to train for your battles."

Terrence was skeptical. "Training?"

Cid laughed out loud and slapped him on the back with enough force to send him sprawling on the floor.

"Yes!" The Dwarf cheered. "We're going to train! Up and at it, lad!"

"Why...me..." Terrence groaned.

...

King Randolph led everyone to the training room, which was large enough to accommodate an entire cohort. With a multitude of wooden weapons and dummies, and even an arena, this was the perfect place to work up some strength.

"Alright!" Cid pounded his fists together. "Let's get to it! Come, Iotunnhammar!"

He raised his right fist, and a hammer blazed into existence.

It was bronze all around, with little amber gems scattered around its head, and a ruby in the center. Both sides of the head were jagged, and one side narrowed into a point. That side of the head had black streaks, almost like burns, along its surface.

Considering that the weapon was as big as Cid himself, it must have been pretty heavy. Yet Terrence watched in amazement as the Dwarf Prince slung it over his shoulder with no evidence of strain.

"So, lad." Cid turned to the boy. "Ready to spar?"

The grin he had made him look like a madman, and it made Terrence shiver.

"Uh..." He didn't know what to say.

"Hold up." Cress cut in. "Let me take care of him. If you two sparred, he'd be dead."

Cid frowned, but reluctantly nodded. "Fine..."

"Oh, thank God." Terrence sighed in relief.

He froze when he saw Cress's equally unsettling look.

"Oh, don't think this will be easy." The Hunter said with a chuckle.

He summoned Sagittae, then took his place on one side of the arena. He gave Terrence and impatient look.

"Don't stand there like an idiot. Get your ass over here."

Hesitantly, Terrence obeyed.

The second the boy had stopped on the other side of the arena, Cress opened fire. Terrence yelped as a volley of purple arrows sailed towards him.

"Draw your sword, idiot!" Cress shouted.

Terrence quickly summoned Bjartbrandr, and swing it upwards. A couple of arrows were deflected, but he stumbled and got hit by the rest.

"Gah!" He fell backwards, and landed on his bottom.

Mai and Aquare winced in sympathy, while Virden stifled a gasp.

"I can't watch..." The Nymph Prince covered his eyes.

"I hope he'll be alright..." Mai said worriedly.

Meanwhile, Cid and Elijah were crossing their arms, and had stern looks.

"He really does have little experience..." The Dwarf Prince muttered. "It's horrible..."

"It's definitely a problem..." The other warrior agreed.

And King Randolph said nothing. His face, however, showed his concern.

"Get back up!" Cress commanded Terrence, drawing another arrow.

With a scowl, the boy did so. "I'm not a dog."

"That's it! You got drive! Now use that and fight back!"

Terrence growled, and his grip on his sword tightened. Then with a shout, he charged at Cress, Bjartbrandr raised to strike.


	16. Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence fails to beat Cress in their sparring session.
> 
> A Royal Knight named Rubrum Mortem arrives.

Terrence fell to his knees, breathing hard.

After a third failed attempt to lay a hit on Cress, he was exhausted and sore.

Seeing this, Cress decided to end their training session.

"We can pick it back up tomorrow." He said, dismissing his bow. "For now, we need to-"

"N-no..." Terrence protested weakly. "I can...still..."

He got to his feet, but almost immediately collapsed. Cress sighed in irritation.

"Kid, you're in no shape to fight anymore. Wait until you're better, alright?"

"...Fine..."

Terrence sat up, wincing as he felt the bruises on his body throb. He looked up when Aquare approached him.

"Want me to heal you?" The Nymph asked in concern.

"Yeah, go ahead." The village boy allowed.

He sighed in relief as waves of green energy washed over his body, healing his wounds.

"Thanks."

Aquare smiled. "You're welcome."

Terrence got to his feet, and went with Aquare and Cress to join the others. Everyone had concerned looks on their faces.

"Are you alright?" Mai asked.

"Yeah." Terrence said, putting up a small smile.

"Cut the crap." Cress said harshly. "We all know you aren't taking it well."

Terrence sighed sadly. The Hunter was right, he was feeling pathetic.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this." Cress continued, crossing his arms. "Your performance was-"

"Absolutely terrible." Someone interrupted.

Everyone turned to see a man and woman standing at the doorway.

The man looked to be in his late 30s. He was tall, and built with a litheness befitting of a swordsman. His shoulder length shoulder length brown hair was braided into dreadlocks. He wore plated crimson armor, and a falchion hung at his side.

When the man glared at him with his deep green eyes, Terrence couldn't help but step back warily. This man...the boy could tell he wasn't a person anybody wanted to be around.

Then the man's gaze shifted, and Terrence followed it.

Beside the Hero of Light, Cress was shaking from anger. His narrowed eyes met the man's, and they stared each other down.

Terrence was confused, at first. Then one of Cress's hand drifted to his scar, and the boy realized it.

"Is that..." He trailed off.

"Captain Rubrum Mortem." Cress spat. "My father."

Rubrum gave his child an amused smile. "So it is you. Why are you dressed like that, young lady?"

"Shut it! I'm not a girl, you hear?"

"Ha!" The Royal Knight spread his arms. "Denial! It's not going to get you anywhere! You can't change yourself!"

Cress choked up. "That's..."

"That's enough, Rubrum." The woman cut in.

She had a beauty that few others did. Her long, jet black hair looked like it was combed to perfection. Her scaled silver armor fitted her body in a way that showed her curves. It was even polished to the point where it constantly glinted in the sunlight from the window.

Terrence was dumbfounded. What woman could look this good?

Behind him, Mai was looking down at herself in shame.

The knight smiled in amusement. "Impressed by my looks?"

"Uh..." The Cait Sith blushed. "I'm kind of envious..."

"Hmph. I'm not surprised. Few could hope to match me, Formosa Levene, in a contest of appearances."

"Wait until the Elves and Nymphs hear you say that." Rubrum smirked.

"I don't know. I'm confident that I look as good as them." The woman flipped her hair. "I work hard to make everything about myself perfect!"

"Really? I couldn't tell with how narcissistic you are."

"Why you-"

"That's enough." King Randolph said sternly.

The two knights gave each other one last glare before standing at attention.

"Sorry, milord." They said simultaneously.

"It's fine. But please don't fight in front of guests."

"I wouldn't call HER a guest." Rubrum smirked at Cress. "Just an...abomination."

"What did you say!?" Cress shouted.

He stomped towards his father, but was grabbed by Elijah.

"Calm down." He said. Although he looked a little mad himself.

"Let go of me!" Cress demanded, struggling in his friend's tight grip. "I want to shoot him in the face at point blank!"

"Go ahead and try it." Rubrum said nonchalantly. "But I doubt you could lay a scratch on me. You are just a weak little girl, after all."

"You...you..."

"No!" Mai shouted. "Don't make a mistake!"

"You're going to get hurt!" Aquare warned.

"My friend, even I can tell he's not someone you want to cross!" Cid said with a scowl.

"Stand down, now!" King Randolph ordered.

All Terrence could do was watch. He was too scared to speak.

Cress looked down, and repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to compose himself. Seeing this, Elijah let his grip slacken a bit.

Rubrum smirked. "How nice. You have so many people looking out for you."

"Rubrum." Randolph had a threatening tone.

The Royal Knight sighed, and shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Besides, I'm not here for you."

He turned to Terrence, who froze up in fear. Rubrum chuckled at his reaction.

"So YOU are the Hero of Light? Give me a break! How can a wimp who can't even stick up for his friend be a hero?"

Terrence opened his mouth, but not a single came out. He knew...that the man was right.

"Can't even talk back?" Rubrum scoffed. "Pitiful."

He turned, and began walking away.

"I'm through with these peasants. See you at the next meeting, Your Highness."

Formosa turned to King Randolph. "Could I-"

"You are dismissed, Captain Levene." He granted.

As the female knight walked away, Randolph turned to Cress with a regretful look.

"Sorry about that." He apologized. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Cress said bitterly.

Terrence knew that was a lie, but he didn't speak.

"And you?" His grandfather looked at him.

"I'm fine." The boy said.

Though he wasn't either. What Rubrum said to him really hit close to home.

...

King Randolph accompanied everyone to the entrance of the castle, then bade them farewell.

"Do your best." He encouraged Terrence. "I believe in you."

Terrence smiled. "Thanks."

But he still couldn't help but doubt himself.

"Milord." Elijah spoke up. "I would like to visit my father. Where would he be?"

"Oh, High Captain Tauros..." Randolph thought for a moment. "He should be in his personal training room..."

"Mind escorting me over there?"

"Of course. Right this way."

Before he went off, Elijah requested for Terrence to do something.

"Could you inform Satin and Aurael of our new quest?"

"Yeah." The village boy nodded. "And...do you want Satin to come along?"

Elijah frowned as he thought about it. "Well..."

Considering recent events, Terrence could understand his hesitance.

"I don't think Satin would like being left behind." Cress pointed out. "Just let her come along. She can shoot from the back row."

"Well..." Elijah sighed. "Fine."

"Well, that settles it." Cress looked at Terrence. "You go inform Satin, alright? I'll go to Aurael."

"Sounds good." The Hero of Light agreed. "Where's her home?"

"Fifth District. Very flashy looking place. You can't miss it."

"Got it.", Terrence turned to the others. "What about you guys?"

"It's getting late." Aquare pointed out. "We'll find the inn in the Third District and book some rooms. Meet us there."

"Stay safe." Mai said.

"If anybody bothers you, give them a pounding!" Cid said with a grin.

"That's the exact opposite of safe!"

"See you later!" Viriden waved.

Terrence and Cress nodded, and everyone split up for the time being.


	17. The Start of a Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence tells Satin about the upcoming journey, while Cress gies to Aurael. Meanwhile, Elijah talks with his father.
> 
> The next morning, everyone is ready to set out, but then someone new joins them...

Terrence nearly got lost on his way to Satin's house.

He had no idea where the Fifth District was, so he spent a while trying to find it. Eventually, he had to ask somebody for directions.

After that, it didn't take long for the boy to find Satin's home. Cress was right, it was flashy looking, with all the colorful decorations.

When he walked in, he was enthusiastically greeted by Satin's mother, who looked almost exactly like her, except a little taller.

Youthfulness really did run in the family.

Satin's father, however, was a man in his mid-forties, and definitely looked it. He looked a bit embarrassed to have such a young looking wife. But anyone could tell that he truly loved her

After some short greetings, Terrence told Satin about the upcoming journey.

"So, would you like to come with us?" He finished.

"Of course!" She answered happily. "Who else could say they traveled with royalty? And by the way, I'm going to bring my work with me. Hope that's alright."

Terrence sweat dropped. "Of course...as long as it doesn't slow us down."

With that over with, he said his goodbyes and went to go find the inn.

...

Meanwhile, Cress was at the shop with Aurael, telling her about the upcoming journey.

"So we'll be gone for a while." The Hunter finished. "Will ya be okay?"

"Yeah." His friend nodded, though she was frowning. "But...are you alright?"

"W-what? Of course I am!"

"Cress, we've been best friends for years. I can tell when something's off."

He looked away sheepishly. "Dammit...I can't keep anything from ya."

"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "So, tell me."

"Well...I saw my father today, and...well..." Cressed sighed. "Aurael...What do ya think of me?"

"Huh? I think you're a good person." The farm girl titled her head. "Why do you ask?"

"Ugh...I mean...am I...manly, to ya?"

"Oh...so THAT'S what this is about."

Aurael let out a growl of frustration and clenched her fists. Cress instinctively backed away.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Aurael spat. "Do you seriously care if people see you as a man or not?"

Cress lowered his head in shame, not answering the question. He hadn't meant to get his best friend mad at him.

In response to his silence, Aurael sighed. "I realy didn't think you were that shallow, Cress."

"...I'm sorry." Was all he could say.

SMACK!

The farm girl had slapped the Hunter with enough force to make him fall to the floor.

"Idiot." She muttered. "Get out."

Cress slowly got back up, and walked out of the shop. He didn't say goodbye, or even look back.

Aurael watched him go with regretful eyes, but she knew this was the best thing she could do for him.

...

Up at the castle, Elijah was standing in front of the double doors to his father's training room.

This was it, the time to confront him.

The fighter took a deep breath, then opened the doors.

There he was, High Captain Furioso Tauros, meditating in the middle of the wreckage he had created during his training.

He was a man nearing his fifties, with greying blonde hair that was grown to hip length. He wasn't wearing any armor at the moment, showing a body that was well built from years of service.

When Elijah stepped in, the man immediately looked at him with dark brown eyes. The same, cold ones from all those years ago.

Elijah was ticked off just by looking at his father. He was still as stone-like as ever.

"Father." The young man inclined his head.

"So you came here." Furioso acknowledged. "I take it you've liked my help?"

He didn't even say his name. Elijah scowled.

"They're good men, but that doesn't mean I appreciate you interfering with my life."

"Is that so?"

Elijah stomped the floor. "It is so! I left this place years ago, Father! I want my own life away from you! Yet you decide to push things on me tgat I don't want!"

The High Captain huffed. "Spoiled, are we?"

"Far from it. I actually care about people, unlike you!" His son looked down. "You didn't even care about Mother. Your own wife..."

"Such is the way of life."

In a split second, Elijah had summoned his axe and lunged at his father. And just when the blade came close...

CLANG!

Furioso had brought up his own silver axe, blocking the attack with little effort. He wasn't even surprised. In fact...there was even a bit of amusement in his eyes.

"You have grown strong." He stated. "But if you think you can best me..."

At that moment, Elijah felt the air become heavier. He gasped as some unseen force threatened to make him fall to his knees.

"See what you are dealing with?" High Captain Tauros said calmly.

Elijah dropped his axe, which disappeared when it hit the ground. Then he collapsed face first onto the floor.

His father got up, and walked past him. When he reached the door, he glanced back.

"Know your place. Don't fight the higher authority."

Then he left, leaving Elijah sprawled on the floor.

...

At the inn in the Third District, the boys and girls had decided to take seperate rooms.

While the Aquare and Cid were settling in, Mai and Viriden were taking a much needed bath.

"Mmmm..." Viriden moaned as she soaked in the hot water. "It's been so long since I've been in the water."

"After a lot of hardship..." Mai smiled. "A hot bath is great."

"I have to say, you look positively cute Mai!"

"C-cute!?" The Cait Sith blushed.

"Oh yes! I could just scoop you up and cuddle you like a stuffed animal!"

"W-wait just a-mmmph!"

The Nymph had brought the younger girl into a big hug, shoving her head into a well developed chest. Mai flailed her arms as she struggled to get out of the death grip.

Then she felt smooth fingers gently stroke her ears, and she gradually relaxed.

"There's a good kitty." Viriden mused.

Even though she was embarrassed, the Cait Sith was starting to enjoy this embrace. She even found herself purring, surprisingly enough.

It was rather nice to be spoiled like this...especially after the hard life she had.

...

Terrence arrived at the inn at the same time as Cress.

The boy was surprised by how dejected the Hunter looked. What had happened with Aurael?

"Are you alright?" Terrence asked in concern.

"Huh?" Cress only just realized he was there. "Oh...yeah."

He definitely wasn't, but Terrence didn't press further. Not like he could do anything, anyway.

So he just followed his friend inside so they could join everyone else.

They saw Viriden and Mai coming out of the baths, and approached them.

"Hey guys." Terrence greeted.

"Hey you two." Mai returned.

She had a momentary look of concern upon seeing Cress. But she immediately put up a smile. Viriden kept her smile, but Terrence saw a hint of worry in her eyes.

Guess they also knew better than to pry into personal affairs.

"Where are Aquare and Cid?" The village boy asked.

"They booked a room for you boys." Viriden said. "I'll show you the way."

"Thanks. Come on Cress."

But the Hunter just stood there. Then after a moment, he started walking to the counter.

"I'll just get my own room." He said quietly.

The other three just watched him with sad eyes.

...

The next morning, everyone had gathered at the gate, well rested and ready for action.

Well, most of them, anyway.

Elijah was holding his head and limping when he arrived with Satin. The girl was watching him carefully, in case he fell over.

"What happened to you?" Cress asked in surprise.

"My damn father." Elijah muttered.

"Ah...of freaking course."

"He looked horrible when he came to my house last night." Satin said sadly. "I'm glad he wasn't any worse."

At that moment, the voice of King Randolph called out to them.

"Wait just a moment!"

They turned around and saw him walking with another man.

This man was rather young, around twenty-four, with pale, short, and somewhat curly blonde hair. He wore white plated armor as his protection. A blue cape hung from his shoulders, and a silver broadsword hung at his side.

He looked at them with kind blue eyes. "Hello there."

"Hey." Terrence nodded at him, before looking at his grandfather. "Grandfather, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you off." Randalph said with a smile. "And to introduce you the Royal Knight who will be accompanying you."

The man beside him stepped forward. "I am Captain Lucius Est Spe, of the Second Cohort. Pleased to meet you."

"Wait, you're a Royal Knight?" Elijah was surprised. "But you're so young."

Lucius chuckled. "I'm a prodigy. I took up the station when I was only twenty-one."

"Damn..."

"But please, I ask that you don't treat me unlike anybody else here. I'm not that conceited."

"It would be an honor." Elijah bowed.

Lucius sweat dropped. "And...this is what I asked you not to do."

Then he turned to a curious Terrence, and fell to one knee.

"My Prince, I am glad to be traveling with you." He declared. "You may be inexperienced, but I promise to help you hone your skill with the sword."

"Uh...what?" The village boy was confused.

"Lucius is our finest swordsman." King Randolph elaborated. "So I'm assigning him to train you in the way of the sword."

"Are you sure? Well, thank you."

"You're welcome. Now then, it is time for you all to be going."

He looked at each and every one of them with a serious expression.

"Princess Lorica's life is on the line. It is up to you to save her. I wish you luck." The King looked at Lucius. "Train my grandson well."

"Of course, milord." The Royal Knight bowed.

"This is goodbye, for now."

King Randolph walked back to the castle, while Lucius turned to the rest of the group.

"Are you all ready?" He asked with an air of nobility.

"Yes." Terrence confirmed.

"You got it!" Cid grinned.

"Let's go." Elijah said.

"Ready." Aquare said.

"Yeah!" Viriden and Satin cheered.

Mai and Cress nodded solemnly.

"Then our quest starts now!" Lucius declared with a flourish.

And with that, the party set out to rescue their comrade.


	18. The Young Man With Black Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party stops at Wexton Village, where they meet a certain winged warrior.

CRACK!

An Anubis howled as it was struck by tendrils of electricity. Then a golden spear point pierced its heart, cutting the cries short. The monster turned to smoke, leaving its axe to fall to the ground.

A young man about sixteen years of age sighed tiredly, and leaned against his spear.

He wore a set of black armor, complete with a helmet designed like a dragon's head, which hid the top part of his face from view. He even had wing-like appendages on his back.

Currently, his protection was scratched up and broken in several places, showing a lean body with some muscle tone.

The spear in his hands was a bronze pole with a golden blade designed like a lightning bolt. Despite the battle it had been through, it still shined beautifully in the sunlight.

The knight looked back at the carnage he had made. Small, smoking craters and burnt grass lay behind him. Various weapons were scattered about, being what remained of the monsters that were killed.

Beyond the battlefield was a village, which the knight was seemingly protecting. But that wasn't the case, exactly.

"Vivian..." He panted. "It'll be okay..."

A symphony of growls caught his attention.

Approaching him was a pack of Hell Hounds, which were large feral dogs with black fur and glowing red spots.

The knight scowled as he straightened himself and readied his spear.

"You will not pass!" He declared. "I dare you to try!"

His wings unfurled, creating a small gust of wind. He took to the air and dived down at the Hell Hounds with a battlecry, his spear crackling with electrical energy.

...

At Lucius's suggestion, the gang bought some horses for them to ride to the forest.

Well, that was the plan...Turns out there were only three horses available at the stable.

So being gentlemen, the guys let the girls have them. Though Viriden invited Aquare to ride with her, which he accepted.

"Um..." Mai blushed. "Would you like to ride with me, Terrence?"

"Oh..." Terrence turned red and shyly held out a hand. "S-sure."

Aquare and Viriden smiled at them while everyone else stifled their laughter.

Later, the village boy had grown a bit comfortable with being hugged from behind. But coziness couldn't last for long.

"The sun's going down." Cress observed.

"There should be a village close by." Lucius informed. "Wexton, that's the name. Just keep going."

By night time, Terrence could see lights coming into view. The village was close now.

"Hurry," Elijah urged. "Before the monsters come."

But as they got closer, it became apparent that something had happened...

They stopped at what appeared to be the sight of a battle. Weapons were scattered everywhere, along with craters and patches of burnt grass.

"What the hell..." Cress muttered.

"What happened here?" Mai asked worriedly, her ears folding back.

"Looks like monsters were going to attack the village." Lucius noted. "Then they were stopped...but by who?"

"Considering the burns, maybe a Dwarf?" Aquare guessed.

"No." The Royal Knight pointed at the scorched grass. "See the patterns? They're spread out, like vines. If this was done by fire, there wouldn't be any gaps at all. This was lightning magic, which means..." His eyes widened. "Gods and goddesses..."

"What is it?" Elijah inquired.

"It's just an educated guess, but I need to see if I'm correct. Hurry, to the village!"

And with that, he took off. Everybody rushed to follow him.

...

Upon hearing the beating of hooves, the villagers came out of their homes to see the party's arrival. A portly man ran up to them.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Lucius Est Spe, Royal Knight from the castle." Lucius answered. "You're the lord, I take it?"

"Yes, I'm Chester." The lord smiled in relief. "I'm glad you're here! We've been wanting to go out for days, but...the monsters..."

"All of that carnage outside, who did that?"

"Y-you won't believe this! A mighty Dragoon has been defending our village ever since this mess started!"

That got everyone's attention.

"Dragoon?" Terrence was perplexed. Then he remembered. "Wait...weren't they supposed to be..."

"Is it..." Cid crossed his arms and frowned "Couldn't be..."

"Could we see him?" Lucius asked eagerly.

"Of course!" Chester agreed. "He's at the ward right now. Right this way."

...

They entered the ward, which was a medical building where villagers recieved treatments for injuries and illnesses.

To the left side, there was a reception. Behind that, a woman was organizing bottles of medicine to put on the shelves.

"Excuse me." Chester said. "They're here to see-"

"I already know." The woman interrupted. "General room, as usual. Oh, and only four visitors at a time. So unless some of you are nobles, you can't all go in."

"About that..." Terrence chuckled nervously.

"You're speaking to royalty, lady!" Cid grinned as he showed his ring.

Aquare hastily reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace with his family's crest on it.

Terrence hesitated, then summoned Bjartbrandr and held it up.

The receptionist was bewildered upon realizing she was in the presence of a princess and two princes. Wait, two...

"That boy, is he really..." She trailed off.

"Yes." Lucius smiled in amusement. "And I'm a Royal Knight, so I don't count towards the number of visitors."

"O-okay...well..." The woman coughed and regained composure. "Regardless, even if you don't count, not all of you can go in."

"Well that sucks." Cress said in disbelief.

"Wait, I'm his retainer." Viriden pointed out. She smiled innocently. "So I'm a noble! I don't count at all!"

The receptionist looked like she was about to blow for a moment. Terrence and Aquare sweatdropped, and shrunk back a little. Then the woman let out a restrained sigh and nodded.

"Alright." She relented. "You can go in."

"Yay!" Viriden cheered as she jumped into her master's arms. "I did it Master!"

"Y-yeah!" Aquare squeaked. "V-Viri...not in public!"

"Wait...Master?" The receptionist became confused.

"And...did you say 'his' retainer a moment ago?" Chester looked dumbfounded.

"Just your imagination..." Terrence tried to spare the poor people's sanity.

Deciding it would be better to move on, the lord hastily agreed to that conclusion and shooed everyone to the general room to the right.

"If your looks keep on getting everyone into awkward situations..." Terrence sighed.

"It's not my fault I look like my mother!" Aquare shouted in embarrassment.

"Shut up!" Cress snapped. "We're going in!"

The boys quieted down as he opened the door.

The general room had eight beds. Four on one side of the room, four on the other.

On one of the back beds, there was a young man clad in nothing more than his boxers and a helmet. And he did indeed have black wings on his back. There was somebody else on the bed, sleeping peacefully.

When the knight saw the unfamiliar visitors, he immediately shot up and stood in front of the bed. His wings unfurled, shielding the other patient from view.

Terrence couldn't help but fall back in fright. Everyone else stood their ground, but still remained wary.

"Who are you?" The knight growled.

He summoned a spear and aimed it at them. The tip began to spark with electricity.

"Hold your horses, man!" Cid held up his hands. "We're your comrades, dammit!"

He summoned his hammer as proof of that. The winged guy eyed it for a moment, then relaxed and dismissed his weapon.

"Oh, it's you Cid." He said calmly. "It's been a while."

He looked at Aquare, and nodded.

"You too, huh?"

He looked around at everyone else.

"I'm guessing you're all here for us?"

"Well, not at first." Aquare admitted. "To be honest, we didn't know you were alive until now."

"I see. Well, whatever." The knight crossed his arms. "So the Heroes of Arum are gathering, huh? Where's Lorica?"

"Yeah...about that..." Cid shook his head. "Oh yeah, these guys don't know you. Go on, introduce yourself."

"Alright."

The winged knight turned to the group and bowed slightly.

"I'm Reinhardt III, Prince of Dragoon race. And the last of my kind."


	19. Overwhelming Odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting with Reinhardt, the party sets out for the forest.
> 
> However, an army of monsters blocks the way...

"Reinhardt." Lucius smiled. "It's a pleaure to meet you. I am Lucius Est Spe, Captain of the Second Cohort."

Everybody else introduced themselves, and Reinhardt nodded at each of them. Then he turned his eyes to Terrence.

"So this puny guy is the Hero of Light?" The Dragoon frowned. "Frankly, I don't trust you to do the job."

Terrence gave a nervous smile. "Uh..."

"Let me make it clear: I don't care about the world. But Vivian's safety depends on how well we do save it. So if you become dead weight..."

The next thing Terrence knew, an electrically charged spear was being pointed at his forehead. He screamed and fell back.

"I won't hesitate to kill you." Reinhardt finished darkly. "Got it?"

Terrence nodded rapidly. He was too scared to speak.

"Damn." Cress was surprised. "Some hero, huh?"

The Hero of Thunder turned his head to him. "I'm no hero. Just somebody who fights for his woman."

He turned around to look at the person on the bed, and everyone went to get a look.

It was a cute girl, around twelve years of age. She had somewhat short blonde hair, which was a little unkempt. Her choice of attire consisted of a white robe with a golden crest, her family's, printed on the front.

On her back was a pair of white, feathery wings. They twitched a little, but she didn't appear to be awake.

"So this is the Angel Princess." Aquare was in awe.

"Wait..." Terrence frowned. "Did you say...your woman?"

"Do you not know about the Angel-Dragoon soulmate system?" Cress asked him.

"Of course I freaking know! I'm not THAT ignorant! But...isn't she...well...younger than him?"

"The soulmate system has no qualms about that." Reinhardt said. "Your soulmate could be several years older or younger than you. It's just a matter of chance meetings."

The fact that he said this so calmly irked Terrence, but he decided it would be better to move on.

"Anyway...has Vivian been out this whole time?"

"Yeah..."

Reinhardt reached down and brushed a bit of hair from the Angel's eyes.

"During the attack on Skyland, we fell down and landed here. The whole ordeal was too strenuous for her..."

"You must be so afraid for her." Viriden said with sympathy.

"I am...And there's nothing I can do except keep fighting until she wakes up. I have to keep her safe...I have to..."

Cid took note of all the bandages he was wrapped in and whistled. "Damn...you got real guts, Rein."

"To be honest...I'm scared." Reinhardt admitted, frowning. "It's taking me everything I have just to hold the line. And the monsters just keep coming."

"Well, we're here now. You don't have to worry anymore."

"...Thank you."

The Dragoon Prince looked up and eyed everyone in the room.

"So why the big party? And where's Lorica?"

Once Cid explained the situation, Reinhardt understood.

"So we're leaving in the morning. Alright then."

"Let's have dinner and get to bed." Cress said. "We got a long day ahead of us."

"Care to join us, Rein?" Aquare offered.

Reinhardt shook his head. "No. I'm going to look after Vivian. Someone will bring me something later."

And so, the party left him and settled at an inn for the night.

...

The next morning, they gathered at the village entrance, with a now armorclad Reinhardt carrying Vivian on his back.

After an exchange of 'thank yous' between the mayor and Reinhardt, it was time to leave.

"Let's not waste anymore time." Lucius said as he began to mount his horse. "Time to-"

He stopped, as if he was sensing something, and pulled out his sword. Cid and Reinhardt summoned their weapons as they became apprehensive as well. Cress and Elijah did the same.

"What's wrong?" Terrence asked, puzzled.

"Something's coming." Lucius said in a low voice.

"How can you tell?"

"Hmph. My Prince, here's where your lessons begin. To start with, every living thing has energy inside them. This is our Imperium, our power and life force."

"Some people or weapons are able to manifest and use Imperium to attack and defend." Cress added, holding up his bow. "My Saggitae uses my Imperium, as does Elijah's axe."

"Yeah." Elijah nodded. "However, Cress hasn't really unlocked his Imperium."

"Unfortunately...All I can do is channel energy into my bow, and not much of it."

"Keep in mind that it's not magic." Lucius continued. "That's another thing entirely. But that will come another time. For now, let's try getting you to tap into your Imperium. Concentrate."

Terrence nodded, and screwed his eyes shut.

"Focus on life itself." Lucius instructed. "The very core of your being. Reach for it."

Terrence imagined himself in the ocean, with a something like a gate up ahead. It was shining brightly, ready to be opened. He swam up to it, and pushed.

But it didn't budge. He felt himself running out of air.

He pushed a few more times, but nothing. His vision was darknening.

With his remaining strength, he rammed into the gate.

BOOM!

Terrence's eyes snapped open and he gasped.

"I can feel the surge in power." Lucius smiled proudly. "How do you feel?"

"Light..." Terrence muttered. "My body doesn't feel as heavy."

"Good. Can you feel anything else?"

Terrence nodded, and looked around at everyone else. They all had energy radiating from them, all with their own distinct feels.

For some reason...Cress's energy was...wavering. Terrence couldn't help but give him a quizical look.

Then he felt...darker presences ahead, and they were approaching Wexton. He shivered a little.

"Yeah, something bad is coming." Terrence said with a hint of fear.

"More monsters..." Reinhardt growled, tightening the grip on his spear. "They just keep coming for us."

"Well, you have us by your side, Rein." Cid assured, shouldering Iotunnhammar. "Let's beat the crap out of them."

"But what about Vivian? I can't carry her to a battle, but she can't be left alone..."

"...Let me watch her." Mai offered hesitantly. "I...can't really fight..."

Reinhardt thought about it, then nodded. "Okay."

He set Vivian down, then joined everyone else as they went to battle.

Terrence spared a look back at Mai, who had a regretful look in her eyes as she watched them leave.

He mustered a smile and waved. Then his heart skipped a beat when she smiled and waved back.

The Human Prince quickly went to catch up to the others, now more determined than ever to succeed.

...

"Gods and goddesses..." Terrence said in disbelief as he summoned Bjarbrandr.

He knew there would be a lot of monsters, but not this many. He and his friends were facing a small army of Anubi, Hell Hounds, and lizard-like warriors called Kobolds. They glared at the party when they came into sight, and started to charge.

"You faced this many day after day?" The boy asked Reinhardt.

"Not really." The Dragoon said. "But it progressively got worse after each day." He scowled. "This is even bigger than yesterday's raid..."

"Well, we're here now." Lucius said confidently. "Hurry, we need to take formation. Those of you with melee weapons, take the front with me. Archers and mages, you'll be at a safe distance behind us."

They did as he said, and finished just in time to meet the charge of the monsters.

"For Arum!" Lucius declared as he clashed with a Kobold.

"Ha!" Terrence shouted as he swung his sword at a Hell Hound.

The dog swiftly dodged it and he stumbled. Then the boy yelped as he was pounced by the monster.

Its razor sharp teeth came so close to biting his face off.

"Frost!" Aquare chanted.

A ball of ice hit the Hell Hound's face and knocked it to the ground. Then more pelted it before it could get back up. The monster howled as it turned to smoke.

"We got your back!" Viriden said as she shot more ice at a Kobold.

"No need to worry." Aquare assured.

"Thanks." Terrence said, getting back to his feet.

He looked around the battlefield to check on everyone else. What he saw amazed him.

Cid was a little ball of fury as he swung his hammer around recklessly, laughing like a maniac all the while. Every time a monster was hit by him, their bones were broken and they went flying.

When some Kobolds tried to dog pile on him, he let loose a burst of energy from his body to blast them off.

"HA HA!" The Dwarf boasted. "WHO'S NEXT!?"

Then there was Reinhardt, who fought with a ferocity befitting of a dragon. He was like a bolt of lightning, striking the enemy fast and hard.

When he was getting crowded, he raised his spear high.

"Elthunder!" He chanted.

Multiple bolts of lightning struck all around the Dragoon, frying his foes and giving himself some breathing room.

"By Geirdynja's wrath, you will die!" He shouted as his spear crackled with electricity.

Lucius and Elijah were working in tandem. Lucius would use expert swordplay and swift footwork to take on the nimble Kobolds and Hell Hounds, while Elijah dealt with the tougher Anubi woth his own great strength.

Whenever openings were made, the two would trade places and finish each other's enemies off before quickly switching back to their original positions.

"You're pretty good." Elijah complimented.

"Hmph." Lucius was amused. "You're not bad yourself."

Then he noticed Terrence watching them, and scowled.

"Prince, pay attention!"

Terrence snapped back to attention just in time to see a Kobold run up to him with its sword raised.

The boy raised his Sacred Treasure and got into a lock with the lizard. Sparks flew as the two struggled to overcome each other.

Terrence could feel the energy in his body coursing through him, boosting his power, if only enough to get by. He had to make use of it.

With a yell, he pushed forward with all his might, breaking the lock and making the Kobold stumble back.

He had never been happier to see the look of horror on a monster's face.

The Hero of Light thrust his sword through its chest, vaporizing it on the spot.

He took a quick breath, then immediately engaged with a Hell Hound that was lunging for him.

He jumped out of the way and attempted to counter, but the dog dodged and retaliated. Terrence was once again on the ground with a beast snapping at him, and he couldn't get it off. All he could do was hold its fangs back with Bjartbrandr.

"Someone help!" He cried.

Balls of ice downed the Hell Hound, allowing the boy to get back up. He saw Aquare near him, putting his hand down

"Getting better " The Nymph remarked.

"Not nearly enough..." Terrence sighed as he looked around at the other fighters.

It was then he realized that there weren't any arrows being fired. He glanced back at Cress and Satin.

He became surprised when he saw the Hunter on his knees, with his bow on the ground in front of him. Satin was beside him, doing her best to confort him.

Terrence ran over immediately.

"What's going on!?" He asked frantically.

"My bow..." Cress was in shock. "It won't work..."

"What?"

To prove his point, Cress picked up his bow and pulled the string. But no arrow was formed.

This was bad. Very bad.

"Watch out!" Satin warned.

Terrence spun around to deliver a wide slash at a some approaching Kobolds, but only one got caught by attack. The rest eyed the village boy warily as he stood protectively in front of Cress.

But as much as the Hero of Light wanted to, he couldn't take this many by himself. He looked back at Satin.

"Can you cover me?" He asked.

She hesitated, but nodded. "I'll try."

Better than nothing.

Terrence yelled a battlecry as he charged in and attacked the Kobolds.

He managed to make one stagger back, and he sliced it from head to toe. But the others converged upon him and he was pushed to the defensive.

He blocked a couple, dodged another. He tried to strike back, but his sword was deflected. He stumbled back, leaving himself wide open.

He would have been toast if it wasn't for Satin's arrows keeping his enemies at bay. A few were struck and turned to dust, but it didn't help much.

Terrence panted. It had only been a few minutes, but he was already getting worn out.

He perked his head up when he heard Aquare's voice.

"Elfrost!"

A flurry of ice shards tore up the enemy, giving him and Viriden an opening to reach Terrence's group.

"We're here to help." The Nymph Prince said with a kind smile.

"Thanks." Terrence said gratefully. "But...the others..."

"You don't have to worry." Viriden assured. "They're alright."

The boy looked at everyone else.

Cid was still on a rampage, slamming and crushing those who opposed him.

Some Kobolds got smart and tried to attack from afar with arrows and spears. He just grinned at them and summoned a ball of fire about the same size as him. The ranged weapons were incinerated as they entered the flames, leaving the metal bits to fall to the ground.

"Arcfire." The Dwarf Prince chanted.

The fireball turned into a powerful blast of flame, turning a lot of monsters into charred husks.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt was also staying strong.

The Anubi had decided to gang up on him, but he wasn't going down that easily. He avoided their attack by taking to the air and dived back down to drive Geirdynja into one's head. Then he used Elthunder to shock the rest.

As for Lucius and Elijah, things had gotten a little shaky.

The monsters had managed to swarm them, and the men were struggling to push them back.

"This is not how I wanted to spend my Sunday!" Elijah complained as he swung his axe.

"Indeed!" Lucius agreed, cutting down a couple of Hell Hounds. "Think you can handle this?"

"Well, I do have one thing. But you'll have to jump!"

"Wait...what?"

Suddenly, Elijah roared and brought his axe down to the ground. Cracks spread out, encompassing a wide area around him and Lucius.

When light began to peek out, the Royal Knight yelped and jumped as high as he could.

BOOM!

The earth exploded, destroying most of the swarming monsters and sending the rest into the air. Lucius landed on the ground with a huff.

"You could have warned me!" He scolded Elijah.

"But I did." The fighter pointed out, amused.

Terrence sighed in relief. Then he took a more firm grip of Bjartbrandr and went in front of Aquare and Viriden. Satin joined them as she readied another arrow.

More monsters came, and the Hero of Light was afraid. But he couldn't cower, not with his friends fighting so valiantly.

"Okay." He said confidently. "Let's go!"


	20. Angel's Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle continues, and the party is gradually getting worn down.
> 
> However, a timely intervention gives them a chance to turn the tide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to you Readers! Hope you're all having a great day!
> 
> Let's be thankful for our families, for supporting us throughout our lives. Thankful for our friends, who help us have fun and give us advice when we need it. And thankful for our significant others, who comfort and support us most of all.
> 
> Never take anything or anyone in your life for granted.
> 
> And with that, it's time to start the show! Hope you all enjoy!

Mai was watching the battle from the village entrance.

She couldn't make out much, but considering the explosions of magic were getting weaker as the minutes passed...things were starting to look bad.

She concentrated on her friends' energy signatures, and was horrified to learn that they were dwindling.

"Not good..." She muttered. "I should be helping..."

She clenched her fist, and a shadowy aura pulsed from it. A scowl appeared on her face as she tried to make a decision.

"I need to to help...but this power...my curse..."

Her ears perked up when she heard a groan from behind. She quickly turned to see Vivian's blue eyes opening.

"Rein...hardt..." She whimpered.

...

For a minute, Terrence actualy thought they could get through this.

He and his friends kept Cress safe and destroyed whatever enemy came their way. Well, mostly his friends, but he did get a few kills himself.

They cut through the lines and joined up with Elijah and Lucius, then they made their way over to Cid.

"Nice to see you!" The Dwarf said as he slammed a Kobold over the head.

He staggered a bit after that strike, and planted his hammer he could lean in it. His breathing was a little heavy, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

"Gah...this is tough..."

Terrence was also worn out from the fighting. It was taking everything he had just to keep going.

He looked at everyone else. They looked like they were getting exhausted too.

Terrence tried to sense Reinhardt, and found his energy dwindling. They had to join up with him.

"Can you guys make it to Reinhardt?" The boy asked his friends.

"We'll try." Lucius groaned as he struggled with a Hell Hound.

He sliced its head off, and nearly fell to his knees from how tired he was, but Elijah caught him. The older blonde sighed in relief.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Elijah said.

Terrence avoided a slash from a Kobold and stabbed it in the chest. He tried to think of a way to break through. Then he remembered Cid's Arcfire from earlier, so he glanced at him.

"Cid!" He called. "Can you use Arcfire again?"

The Dwarf Prince shoved an Anubis back and scowled.

"Just one more time." He said gruffly.

"That's all we need! Do it!"

He nodded, then took a deep breath and held out his hand. A ball of fire started to grow in his hand, and the enemies in front of it panicked and tried to retreat.

Once the spell was charged enough, Cid unleashed it.

"Arcfire!"

Flames washed over crowd of enemies, making them howl and scream as they were turned to ash.

The way became clear, at least for a bit. Terrence could now see Reinhardt up ahead, struggling with some Anubi.

"Hurry!" The Hero of Light said urgently, sprinting in that direction.

The others broke their engagements and followed him.

Cid tried to go after them, but he stumbled and fell to one knee. He started panting heavily.

"Dammit..." He cursed.

Somebody offered him a hand, and he looked up to see Aquare smiling down at him.

"Thanks, Cid." He said softly.

The Dwarf grinned and took the hand.

"That's what friends and comrades are for." He said as he was helped up.

Aquare held Cid up as they tried to catch up to the others and help Reinhardt.

The Dragoon had started taking a beating as he became exhausted. His armor was now chipped and broken in a few places.

Still, he stood defiantly as he was surrounded, not ready to fall. Not when his soul mate was on the line.

He thrust his spear at the Anubis in front of him, but it deflected the attack and made him stumble.

Two more axes came down on him, and he managed to recover in time to dodge. He thrust his hand out to cast an Elthunder.

All that came out, however, was a few feeble sparks...

"Dammit!" He hissed.

A shadow loomed over him, and he turned to see another Anubis swinging its axe downward. It came close to his face and-

SHINK!

A desperate Lucius had come from the side and tackled the creature, driving his sword into its body and diverting its attack.

Reinhardt was in a state of shock for a moment. Then Cid snapped him out of it.

"Rein!"

The Dragoon looked to see the Dwarf and the others approaching him.

"Made it just in time." Cid said with a tired grin.

"You really cut it close." Reinhardt sighed. "Still...thanks."

"Uh...guys..." Terrence called.

They looked over and saw the remainder of the army recovering from Cid's attack and regrouping to surround the other heroes.

The Dwarf and Dragoon went over to them and took defensive stances.

"This is the last of them..." Elijah stated, shaking slightly. "Dammit...just a little more..."

"Elijah..." Satin muttered out of worry.

She scowled and reached for an arrow, but she found that she was all out.

"Crap..."

Aquare and Viriden tried casting ice magic, but all that came out was a bit of frost.

"We're out of mana..." Aquare's eyes widened in horror. "No..no..."

"Master..." Viriden panted. "Let's get behind everyone. You'll be safe."

"Satin, you stay back too." Elijah said.

"Okay..." She complied reluctantly.

The three joined Cress in the back just as Lucius was limping over to join the front line.

"So we're down to five barely able fighters." The Royal Knight said with a bitter smile. "Well, could be worse..."

"If only I could help..." Cress muttered.

He looked at his bow, and tried channeling his energy again. But nothing came, and he beat the dirt in frustration.

"Gods and goddesses! Why won't it work!?"

Terrence gave him a sad look, then glanced at everybody else and took in their conditions.

Lucius was right, everyone was running low on energy, and kinda beat up. With how exhausted they were...no one would be able to survive the onslaught.

They were lucky the enemy was being wary of them. They obviously didn't want to be burned again.

But any minute now...

"We really screwed this up, huh?" Terrence said sadly.

"Unfortunately, yes." Lucius nodded solemnly. "I guess I have no choice...I need to give it my all.

Everyone watched as he stepped forward and raised his sword skyward.

"Re-"

Then he stopped when he saw something in the distance. The others noticed it as well.

"What is that?" Aquare wondered.

"Hey..." Cress squinted. "Isn't that..."

"No way..." Reinhardt was dumbstruck. "Vivian..."

The Angel had woken up, and was soaring over the crowd. In her right hand was an elaborate golden staff, topped with an emerald.

When she saw Reinhardt, tears started forming in her eyes.

"Reinhardt!" She cried.

"Vivian!" He called back.

She flew right into his outstretched arms, and started to sob into his chest.

"I-it was so dark..." She stammered. "I didn't know where you were! Reinhardt..."

"Don't worry." He said soothingly, petting her head. "We're together again. I promise, we'll stay that way from now on."

He noticed the others giving them warm smiles. The girls even had teary eyes from the scene in front of them.

The Dragoon became serious again. He gently pushed Vivian away.

"We can enjoy each other's company later." He said. "Vivian...we need your help here."

The little girl nodded in understanding. "I know. You're all barely hanging on."

She smiled, and turned to face everyone else.

"Go on! I'll give you the energy you need! Vaettagandr!"

She twirled her staff before holding it out with both hands.

"Benediction!" Vivian chanted.

A rays of green light shined on the party. Terrence gasped as he felt his energy being restored at a rapid rate. He looked and saw all of his cuts healing up.

In mere seconds, he felt ready to take on the army again.

Cid laughed and beat his chest. "That's more like it! I'm ready to smash things up!"

"We're still low on mana." Aquare looked at his hands sadly.

"Don't worry!" Vivian assured. "I'll give you mine!"

She raised Vaettagandr high up.

"Transference!"

Blue light shined on the Nymphs, and they smiled in relief.

"Thanks!" Aquare said gratefully.

"Happy to help!"

Vivian beamed at him for a moment, then suddenly fell to her knees.

"Ah..." She winced. "Maybe I overdid it...sorry..."

"You used up all of your mana for us." Reinhardt said softly. "Stay back with those two archers right there. We'll take care of the rest."

The Angel nodded, then went over to Cress and Satin. Meanwhile, Reinhardt joined up with the rest of the party.

"Let's finish this." He said, going back to his serious tone.

"Hell yeah!" Cid stepped forward. "Charge!"

"Wait!" Terrence stopped him. "Stay in formation. We can conserve energy easier that way."

He noticed Lucius giving him a rather proud look.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." The blonde waved it off. "But you're right, we should be more careful with how we use our energy. We were too reckless earlier."

The heard the angry howls and shouts of the monsters, and turned around. They were charging at the party, now confident their victory.

"Quick!" Lucius ordered. "Cid, Rein! Give us the most powerful spells you got!"

"You got it!" Cid said enthusiastically.

"Okay." Reinhardt nodded.

They charged up elemental magic, fire for Cid and thunder for Rein. After a minute, they were ready to cast.

Just in time, as the army was about to reach them.

"Scatter them!" Lucius shouted.

"Arcfire!" Cid shouted.

"Arcthunder!" Reinhardt chanted.

The enemy was hit by strong blasts of fire and lightning. A lot were destroyed by the attack while the rest went flying from the force.

"Go!" Lucius sprinted into the fray.

The next few minutes were a blur.

Elijah and Cid were in the lead, fighting the tough foes, while Lucius and Reinhardt dealt with the nimbler ones. Terrence stayed close to them and dealt with the monsters that managed to avoid the initial slaughter.

Aquare and Viriden were at the back, picking off foes with their ice magic.

It was still tiring, but staying in formation kept them from being exhausted too quickly.

Soon, there were only a few left standing.

Terrence panted heavily as he faced an Anubis. The creature stomped on over to him and swung its axe.

The Hero of Light jumped out of the way, but his exhaustion overwhelmed him. He fell to the ground, groaning. He hurt all over, and could barely move now.

The monster came and raised its axe high.

Then Cid came down and slammed over the head, breaking its skull. The Anubis collapsed and turned into smoke.

"Thanks..." Terrence said weakly.

Cid looked tired, but he still had a triumphant look on his face. He offered a hand to Terrence, and the boy took it.

"That's what friends and comrades are for." The Dwarf said as he pulled him up.

Terrence winced as his sore muscles screamed at him. "Ow...definitely need to lie down..."

"Hey!" Cress called.

The two turned to see him and the girls running up to them.

"You guys actually did it..." The Hunter said incredulously.

"We couldn't have done it without Vivian." Terrence gave the Angel a grateful look. "Thanks for helping us out."

Her smile was bright, it warmed the boy's tired heart.

"No problem!" She chirped. "I'm happy to be of service!"

She glanced to the right, and gave a cheer.

"Reinhardt!"

The Dragoon Prince was already dashing over. He scooped her up and hugged her for dear life.

"You're safe now." He muttered. "Vivian...I'm so glad..."

"Rein..." She nuzzled him. "I'm happy that you're okay too."

Everyone else regrouped and watched the couple with smiles on their faces.

After a moment, Reinhardt set the young girl down and they turned to face everyone.

"All of you, thanks for helping us." Vivian bowed. "If there is anything you need, we'll be there."

"Actually..." Lucius crossed his arms. "Princess, do you know who these people are?"

He gestured to Terrence, Aquare, and Cid. The Angel tilted her head as she thought.

"Hmmm..."

Then she noticed Bjartbrandr and Iotunnhammar, and realized it.

"Ohhhhh!" She beamed and excitedly flapped her wings. "You're the other Heroes of Arum! Nice to finally meet you!"

"Same here." Aquare chuckled. "I suppose a formal introduction is in order."

"Of course!"

Vivian gave a little curtsy.

"I am Princess Vivian V, of the Angel race. I will do all I can to support you!"

She giggled and straightened up. Then she winked at the party.

"Let's all get along, okay?"


	21. Lessons Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party encounters a camp full of Kobolds.
> 
> Lucius uses the opportunity to teach Terrence valuable lessons.

Before they could decide what to do next, Mai caught up to them, with the horses behind her.

"You actually did it!" She cheered. "I'm glad you're alright!"

Lucius chuckled. "Well, I'm glad too." Then he turned serious. "However, we shouldn't be dawdling here. We have to move on."

"Can't we rest first?" Terrence asked, being rather tired.

"Not here. Don't you get it?"

"...Get what?"

"They're after us." Reinhardt stated. "At first, it was just me and Vivian, because we were vulnerable. But now...with all of us gathering..."

"They'll be trying to stop us before we become a legitimate threat." Cid finished grimly.

"Exactly." Lucius nodded. "So come on, we got to keep going.

Reluctantly, the party resumed their journey to the forest.

...

As the sun started to set, Lucius had everyone stop.

"We should make camp." He suggested.

He looked to the side, and saw a river flowing in the direction the party was going.

"Lisia River." Terrence recognized.

"Yes. It shouldn't be long until we reach Lisia Lake." Aquare said. "We can rest there."

"Then let's go." Lucius spurred his horse. "Onwards."

...

"You have got to be kidding me..." Terrence said in disbelief.

Near Lisia Lake, he and the others found an entire camp of Kobolds waiting for them downhill.

"Want me to cast Arcfire?" Cid asked, holding up his hand.

"No." Lucius shook his head. "We can use that camp. We have to fight head on."

He looked at Terrence expectantly.

"Unless...you have an idea, milord?"

The bot was surprised. "W-wait! Why me?"

"Come on, think. What can we do besides a straight up fight?"

"Uh..."

Terrence looked down at the camp and tried to think. What could they do...

He remembered the setting sun, and an idea popped into his head.

"We can wait for night to come, and the both of us can kill the monsters in their sleep."

"Exactly." Lucius smiled proudly. "That's the third lesson: The formation and execution of strategies."

"Wait...what was my second lesson?"

"Taking the lead when you have to. In our last battle, I could have prevented everyone from fighting too recklessly, but I didn't. In fact, I was also holding back my true skills the entire time."

"WHAT!?" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"You mean to tell me..." Cress clenched his fists. "That we nearly died because you held back!?"

"For a good reason. The prince can't grow if he's being coddled. I had to force him into a hopeless situation so he could gain a backbone and take a leadership role." Lucius kept smiling. "I'm happy to say he passed the test."

"But what now? Are you going to keep holding back?"

"Until His Highness has completed his training, yes."

Cid and Elijah looked ready to smash the Royal Knight.

"Oh?" Lucius tilted his head at them. "You got something you want to say?"

"No." Cid grumbled. "Not right now, anyway. We don't have time for it."

Everyone looked up as the last bits of day had disappeared, leaving the night in its wake.

Terrence looked towards the camp and saw torches being lit.

"It's time." He said. "Lucius, with me. The rest of you are our backup."

"Got it." Aquare nodded.

"And...Cress, Satin...sorry, but..."

"I know." Satin nodded in understanding. "It's alright."

"Yeah..." Cress said glumly. "We'll be here."

Terrence looked at him with sympathy, then turned his attention to the Kobold camp.

"Let's go." He said.

...

Terrence sneaked behind the tents, being careful not to be spotted.

He took a peek, and saw the watchman passing by. He waited a few seconds...

Once it had passed, the boy tiptoed over to the front of the tent and slipped inside.

He peeked out, and sighed in relief when he found out he wasn't detected.

He saw Lucius slip into a tent across from his. No time to waste.

Terrence turned around, and quietly crept over to a few Kobolds, which were sleeping in little cots.

He stopped beside one, and raised Bjartbrandr. His hands were shaking from anxiety, but he couldn't mess this up.

He drove his sword into the monster's chest. It yelped loudly before turning to smoke.

At first, Terrence was proud of himself. Then he realized his mistake.

"Crap." He whispered.

He slowly turned his head to see the other two Kobolds groggily waking up.

Terrence immediately rushed toward one and sliced its head off, preventing it from making noise.

The other one, however, started screaming. The Hero of Light quickly tried to silence it with another headshot, but it dodged the attack.

Instead, Terrence ended up stumbling and falling against the tent's fabric, bringing down the entire structure.

He struggled a little before cutting the fabric and climbing out. He took a gulp of air, then looked around.

The other Kobolds were stepping out of their tents, dazed from the sudden wake up.

Terrence heard a growl and he turned just in time to block an attack from the Kobold that was on patrol.

He tried to press forward, but found himself too weak to do so. He was still tired from the earlier battle.

Then the monster shrieked as it was slashed from shoulder to hip. It faded away, revealing a cross Lucius.

"Milord." He said. "We really need to work on your...lack of finesse."

Terrence knew he meant incompetence. He sighed sadly.

"Sorry..." He muttered.

"No matter. We got bigger things to deal with right now."

Right as he said that, two Kobolds came a swung their swords at him.

In the blink of an eye, the Royal Knight had spun around and sliced both monsters in half. Terrence was amazed.

"Stop gawking!" Lucius snapped. "Hurry up and show me what you can do!"

Out of fright, the boy nodded and scrambled to his side.

Every monster in the camp was approaching, ready to slaughter the trespassers.

Terrence took a deep breath, then charged in.

One Kobold went to intercept him with a spear thrust to the heart. He sidestepped it, but it still grazed him. He attempted to counter with a slash across its chest, but the creature nimbly dodged it.

The boy stumbled, giving the Kobold an opportunity to kick him to the ground.

"Milord!" Lucius shouted.

He tried to go save him, but the other monsters got in the way.

Terrence tried to get up, but a foot pinned him to the dirt. He stared up at the excited faces of the Kobolds. They raised their weapons as they prepared to kill him.

"Arcfire!" Cid chanted.

"Arcthunder!" Reinhardt shouted.

The creatures screamed as they were obliterated by huge blasts of fire and lightning. Just like that, most of them were gone, with the survivors fleeing into the night.

Terrence sighed in relief. "It's over..."

"But look." Lucius said with a hint of disappointment.

The boy looked around, and was shocked to see that most of the tents were destroyed.

The rest of the party came over, and most of them looked mad at Terrence.

He had never felt more pathetic in his life.

"This is what happens when you aren't capable." Lucius hammered in. "If you don't take your duty seriously, if you don't live up to what the Federation expects from you...then we are doomed."

The Royal Knight looked around, and saw a few tents that were charred but still standing. The cooking fire had survived as well.

"Split up and rest in those, everyone. I'll get dinner ready."

"I'll take watch." Cid offered.

"No, the boy will. And as further punishment, he won't be eating tonight."

"Well...I guess it serves him right. Damn weakling."

Terrence looked down, feeling even worse than before.

Lucius went to cook some food, while the others went to rest in the tents.

However, Cress, Mai, and Aquare spared a sympathetic glance at the Hero of Light.

...

Later, Lucius called everyone to eat some stew and bread. Terrence, however, was forced to stay away from them.

So he sat at the edge of the lake, sometimes hearing happy chatter and rounds of laughter behind him.

The smell of the food made his stomach grumble, and he sighed.

"Guess I deserve it." He told himself.

Later, he was still there, looking at the bright moon reflected by the water. He hadn't even noticed that everyone had turned in for the night.

Well, almost everyone.

"Terrence?"

He turned, and was surprised to see Mai, Cress, and Aquare approaching him. In their hands were rolls of bread.

"What are you doing here?" The village boy asked.

"We couldn't let you starve." Cress explained. "So we sneaked extra rolls for you."

"You didn't have to do that..."

"Hey, I know how it feels...to be useless. When I saw you back there...I felt like I had to help you. You're my fellow Hunter...and a friend."

"Me too." Mai said. "With how I am now...I can't be of any help at all. The least I can do is provide comfort. And..." She blushed. "Everyone's kindness towards me...makes me happy...e-especially yours..."

Terrence felt his face get hot, despite the cool air. Cress stifled a laugh.

"W-what about you?" Terrence quickly asked Aquare.

"I feel kinda useless too." Aquare admitted, looking rather crestfallen. "I don't have Varòskjoldr. I can't be up there, fighting alongside you. And to be honest...I'm afraid that I might end up pulling you down with me." He gave a bitter smile. "I'm happy you guys are friends with a wimp like me. I'm happy to have Viriden at my side, even though she could do so much better. So...thank you."

"Don't thank me. You're much stronger than you realize. But me...I'm the real wimp."

"Got that right." Cid cut in.

The gang turned to see him walking over, with another roll in his hand. He still looked a bit miffed.

"Kid, you are the worst swordsman I have ever seen."

Terrence just sighed sadly.

"But I get it. You weren't raised to be a fighter."

The Dwarf grinned and handed him the bread roll.

"So you need to start growing. Get tougher, stronger, and faster. And I'll be with you, every step of the way."

"We all will." Aquare said, holding out his own rolls.

Cress and Mai smiled, and held out theirs as well.

Terrence's eyes widened and started watering. "Guys..."

Watching the scene from a distance was Lucius, who had a satisfied look on his face.

"And so, he passes lesson four." He said. "When you feel like you can't do something alone, your friends will be there for you."

He glanced back at the tent behind him.

"Hello, Elijah."

Elijah stepped into view. He looked rather intrigued.

"So this was all an elaborate scheme to teach another lesson." He stated. "Did you really have to go to such lengths?"

"It's best to let him experience it, rather than outright tell him."

"Hmph."

Elijah crossed his arms, and watched Terrence's group as they started eating together.

"Well...can't say it isn't effective."

"He's growing." Lucius said proudly. "Soon, he will be a true hero."

He looked at Cress, and frowned.

"Can you sense it? Something is wrong with your friend's spirit."

"I can't really sense energy that well." Elijah admitted. "But...Cress has been off ever since he talked with his father."

"I think I know the problem...but I shouldn't really be interfering with his own growth."

"Yet you choose to help Terrence."

"Because he actually needs it. Cress doesn't." Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Are you thinking of interfering?"

Elijah scowled and clenched his fist.

"Oh, and please don't be a hypocrite. I know you have daddy issues too, but you wouldn't let Cress help, would you?"

And with that, the Royal Knight went to his tent, leaving Elijah to think deeply about the conversation.


	22. A Lesson in Swordplay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucius trains Terrence in swordfighting.

Somewhere far out in the South Plains that night, the sounds of blades clashing could be heard.

A girl, a woman, and a man, their identities hidden beneath brown cloaks, were fighting monsters that had attacked them.

The man sliced a Hell Hound in half with a mythril broadsword, then got in a clash with the Kobold's stronger cousin, the Lizard Man. After a bit of a struggle, the man deflected the monster's sword and sliced it from shoulder to hip, killing it.

Behind him, the woman was nimbly avoiding attacks from some Anubi and striking back with a pair of long golden knives. She made deep cuts all over their bodies, weakening them and allowing her to quickly slice their heads off.

As for the girl, she was engaged with a few Lizard Men. She swiftly evaded their attacks, then darted between them while twirling her golden scythe. Its crystal blade sliced them up, sending them to Hell.

And just like that, it was over.

The man sighed tiredly, sheathing his sword. The woman hid her knives and went to his side.

"Can't catch much breaks, can we?" He said.

"Don't worry, Dear." The she put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be able to have a nice rest soon."

"Three weeks is not exactly soon."

The girl came up to them, and her scythe dissappeared in a flash of light.

"My apologies." She said softly. "But I only had one warp crystal on hand back then."

"It's alright." The man assured. "The only thing that matters...is that our boy is safe."

"We can't thank you enough." The woman said gratefully.

"It's just my duty as the Overseer, ma'am." The girl said. "The boy is the Hero of Light. I had to send him to his destiny."

The man looked down for a moment, which made her tilt her head.

"Having regrets...Prince Stephan V?"

In a split second, Stephan had drawn his sword and swung it at the girl.

And just as quickly, she summoned her spear and blocked the attack.

CLANG!

The force of Stephan's strike was enough to cause a small shockwave, which blew off his and the girl's hoods.

Stephan was in his early thirties, though could be mistaken for older with his unkempt brown hair and unshaved beard.

His brown eyes were giving the girl an angry look. His mouth was contorted in a scowl.

The girl simply smiled at him.

"Struck a nerve?" She guessed.

Stephan took in her appearance, and was very shocked.

She was no older than fourteen, with a slim body and short stature. Her pink hair was cut just above the shoulder, and had a little four leaf clover charm on the left side.

Overall, she didn't appear to be that intimidating.

Yet there was a calculating look her blue eyes gave through her silver frame glasses. Like she was testing just how far he would go.

Stephan scoffed and broke the lock.

"You're so young." He said as he sheathed his sword. "How can you not be scared?"

"Because I believe that fate will lead me in the right direction." The girl answered, dismissing her weapon.

The man stared at her for a moment, looking rather wary.

"Just who are you?" He asked.

The girl laughed softly, then replied.

"My name is Wendy. Pleased to make an official introduction."

...

The next morning, Terrence woke up to the sound of clanging metal.

CLANK! CLANK!

Groaning, he got to his feet and stretched. Then he went outside to see what was going on.

He found Cid sitting cross legged on the ground, banging a small hammer against Reinhardt's armor. The Dragoon himself was sitting against a crate a few feet away, with Vivian dozing in his arms.

"Just a little more." Cid muttered, tapping the armor a few times.

After one more strong hit, he got up and grinned.

"Finished!"

Reinhardt carefully broke his embrace, then went over to retrieve his armor.

"Thanks." He said, putting it on.

"No problem!" Cid said. "You should never be wearing worn armor or clothes."

Realizing something, Terrence looked at himself. He choked upon seeing all the tears in his coat.

"I need new clothes..."

"Such is the life of an adventurer." Cress said from behind him.

He and Mai came out of the tent.

"But who needs new clothes," The Hunter grinned. "When you got a Taylor with you?"

"You called?" Satin said.

The trio turned to see her skipping over to them. She bent over and winked.

"I'm not supposed to do this for free. But considering the circumstances, I'll make an exception."

"I hope you mean for all of us." Elijah said as he and Lucius came from a neighboring tent.

"Of course! Bring in whatever needs to be mended!"

Lucius chuckled. "I doubt you could repair armor."

"No." Satin shook her head. "Sorry."

"That's what a Dwarf is for!" Cid said proudly, pounding his chest. "Bring that armor over here! And let me see that sword too!"

So while Satin and the other girls went inside to mend everyone's clothes, Cid worked on Lucius's weapon and armor.

Terrence didn't realize how hot he was in his coat. Now with it off, he was feeling a sense of relief. He sat against a crate and began to relax.

Then Lucius stood over him, looking down at him with disbelief.

"You're seriously going to slack off?" He asked.

"Slack off on what?" Terrence raised and eyebrow.

"Training, my prince. Now get up, and summon your sword."

The boy hesitated, but complied.

Lucius went over to the dead campfire and picked up an iron poker. He faced Terrence with a battle stance.

"En garde!" The Royal Knight declared.

Terrence flinched. "You want me to fight you!?"

"You need to be taught swordplay! Now hurry up and strike!"

Seeing it as his only choice, Terrence ran at Lucius and thrust at his chest.

Bjartbrandr was knocked out of his hands in an instant, and he fell back.

"Terrible form!" Lucius criticized. "Again!"

The Hero of Light reluctantly picked up his sword and tried a horizontal slash. But again, he was knocked back.

"Again!" Lucius repeated.

Terrence scowled and got back up. With an angry shout, he swung at his teacher once more.

And so the pattern continued.

Strike, knocked down, get back up, repeat.

Clank!

Repeat...

Clank!

Repeat...

By the sixth attempt, Lucius had started outright kicking or punching the boy back.

"Ow..." Terrence was on his knees and shaking after a particularly hard gut punch.

His sword was knocked out of his reach, but he couldn't bring himself to get up...

"Don't stop!" Lucius ordered.

The other men were watching them with looks of worry.

"Gosh..." Cid muttered. "This is too much."

"Hey!" Cress shouted at Lucius. "I think he's had e-"

"No!" Terrence interrupted him.

Everyone looked shocked as he staggered to his feet and summoned Bjartbrandr back into his hand. He had a very pained look on his face, but there was still a resolve in his eyes.

"I...need...to get stronger..."

Lucius smirked. "Good."

He flourished his sword, and took a stance again.

"Now, back to business!"

"Move..." Terrence told himself. "Move..."

Though it hurt, he began to dash towards Lucius.

As he got close, he drew his sword back, ready to thrust at his opponent's chest.

Lucius chuckled, and prepared a simple parry.

However, Terrence had a trick up his sleeve.

He struck, and Lucius swung upwards to deflect.

But just before the weapons connected, Bjartbrandr flashed out of existence.

For a moment, Lucius was surprised. "What!?"

Terrence smiled triumphantly as his sword reappeared in his other hand, and he immediately thrust again.

He actually thought it would connect...

Then all the air was knocked out of him by a hard kick to the chest. The boy flew back several feet and crashed into a crate.

It was then that he blacked out entirely.

...

"Gods and goddesses..." Cid said quietly.

He and the others were looking between the knocked out Terrence and Lucius, who had regained his composure and was dusting himself off.

Only Reinhardt and Elijah weren't fazed by the Royal Knight. In fact, the latter was almost angry.

"Well, that was something I wasn't prepared for." Lucius said with a smile.

"Did you really have to do that?" Elijah approached him.

"I wasn't going to let myself get skewered. In any case, milord did well to catch me off guard."

"Wait just a sec." Cress cut in. "Did you go all out right there? You were split second away from being impaled."

"Heh..." Lucius snickered. "For that split second, yes."

Cid scowled at him. "Just how strong are you?"

"Well...I am ranked second among the Royal Knights. But it's less about my strength and more about my speed and skill."

"Then if you're so good, stop holding back and actually help!"

"But I am helping. I'm teaching the young prince valuable lessons. If I went all out, then he would never truly grow."

"You know what I mean!" Cid shouted, summoning Iotunnhammar.

"Cid, no!" Aquare warned, reaching out for him.

But the Dwarf shrugged him off and stomped over to Lucius.

"We're all comrades here!" Cid proclaimed. "Everyone, no matter how strong or weak they are, must put in their full capabilities in order to help each other!"

He prepared to swing his hammer.

"If you continue to slack off, I'm going to beat some sense into you!"

Lucius chuckled and flipped his poker.

"As intimidating as that is," He smirked. "I'm going to decline."

Cid's body started to shake from anger, and his hammer's head started to blaze.

"You...treacherous..." He growled.

"Cid!" Elijah barked. "Don't do it!"

The Dwarf glared at the Royal Knight for a moment, then scoffed and turned around.

"Fine." He conceded. "But when it matters...you give everything you got, you hear?"

Lucius thought about it.

"Hmm..." He smiled. "I'll try."

Seeing no point in pressing further, Cid walked off. Elijah and Aquare followed him.

At that moment, the girls came out with the now mended clothes. They froze upon seeing the looks on the men's faces.

"What happened?" Satin asked Elijah worriedly.

"Just Lucius being an ass." He muttered.

She and the other girls looked at the Royal Knight in confusion.

Lucius ignored the odd looks and walked over to Vivian. He knelt to her level and smiled kindly.

"Mind healing him up?" He gestured to Terrence.

Mai looked over and gasped when she saw the boy's state.

"What happened!?" She shouted.

"Just training." Lucius said vaguely.

"Those wounds look too serious for training!"

"It was very hard training. Vivian, could you heal him?"

The Angel hesitated, but nodded. "Okay."

She fluttered over to Terrence and summoned Vaettagandr. Then she raised it over him.

"Mend!" She chanted.

...

Terrence didn't know how long he had been out.

But in the middle of his sleep, he felt a great sense of relief. Like when Vivian used healing magic on him.

However, wasn't able to get up until much later.

He found himself sleeping in a tent, tucked into a cot. He got off of it and saw his coat hanging on the other side of the room.

After putting it on, he went outside and was happily greeted by Mai.

"Morning sleepyhead!"

"M-morning!" He stammered, blushing slightly. "Uh...where is everyone else?"

"We were about to set off. Just waiting for you to get up."

She grabbed his hand, and his heart threatened to burst from his chest.

"Uh..." The boy turned completely red.

She looked down, and blushed as she realized what she did.

"Um..." She muttered. "L-let's just go to the others."

"Y-yeah!"

The Cait Sith led him to the rest of the party.

The first person to greet Terrence was Cid, who treated him to a strong pat on the back.

"About time you woke up." Cid said in amusement.

Then Aquare came up.

"You alright?" He asked in concern.

"I am." Terrence assured.

Finally, Lucius approached him with a proud smile.

"You might have dropped from exhaustion, but you did pass your swordfighting lesson." He said. "Good job."

Terrence would have felt good about himself, but something felt...off.

He glanced at everyone else and saw how tense they had gotten. They were smiling, but those smiles were a little stiff. He even saw Reinhardt frowning at Lucius.

Something had gone down while he was asleep, but what?

Terrence decided it was just his imagination, and shook his head.

"So." He smiled at everyone. "Ready to go to the forest?"

"Yep." Lucius replied. "Let's not waste any time."

And so, the party set out for their next destination.


	23. Parting Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cress, Elijah, and Satin leave the party.

Halfway there, the party encountered trouble.

Well, someone did before them.

It was an Elven trader, who was currently engaged in a swordfight with some Lizard Men. He was holding up olay, but that could change at any moment.

"Let's help him." Terrence said bravely. "Come on everyone!"

He and the others charged into the battle, much to the surprise of the Lizard Men.

The boy cut down one before it could properly react, while Lucius stabbed another.

The rest managed to recover and tried to engage the two, but Cid and Reinhardt intercepted them.

In seconds, there was only one monster left.

The Lizard Man got smart and tried to run, but the trader darted in front of it and drove his rapier into its heart. The creature turned to smoke.

"Phew..." The trader sighed in relief. "Thank you. There were just too many for me alone."

"You're very welcome." Lucius said formally. "I see you have some valauble items."

"Got a fine eye, I like that." The Elf smiled. "Say, as thanks for helping me, I'll give you my most valuable item."

He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a bottle of glittering gold liquid.

"That's a Megalixir." Lucius was pleasantly surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am." The trader gave him a knowing look. "You are rescuing our Princess Lorica, correct?"

"Wait!" Terrence was confused. "How did you-"

"His Highness told us what was going on." The trader held out the Megalixir. "Now then, take it."

Lucius gratefully did so, and bowed.

"Thank you. We promise to rescue your princess."

"You better."

The Elven trader waved as he walked away.

"Good luck!"

...

The party reached the edge of the forest as the sun started to set.

"Here we are." Lucius said. "It'll take a couple more days to get deep in there. Hopefully we'll find the Goblin nest."

"We'll need a place to stay tonight." Cress pointed out. "My hut's straight ahead. We can stay there."

"We have a problem though." Aquare said, patting his and Viriden's horse. "We can't bring the horses. They're big, and stand out too much."

"If we want to get the jump on the goblins, we need to leave the mounts behind." Reinhardt finished.

"We can't leave them." Satin hugged her horse. "I'll take them to the farm. You guys go on ahead."

"You can't go alone." Elijah went to her side, and looked at the others apologetically. "I hope you'll be fine without me."

"Don't worry." Terrence assured. "You do what you need to."

He noticed that Cress was looking rather conflicted, and became concerned.

"Cress? What's wrong?"

The Hunter shifted a bit. "Well...um..." He sighed. "I'll be going with them. Hope that's fine."

"It's alright." Cid said, though he was frowning. "Just need to know if you're really sure."

"Yeah. Not like there's anything I can do for you guys." Cress looked a bit guilty now. "Besides...I kinda pissed Aurael off back in town. So I gotta make it up to her, you know?"

Terrence felt like there was a bit more to it, but he nodded.

"I understand." He said. "You take care."

"Thanks, man."

"Cress." Mai spoke up nervously. "Uh...thank you, for taking me in."

Cress gave her a small smile. "Don't mention it. I guess you aren't coming?"

She shook her head. "No. I know I can't do anything right now, but...I-I just feel like I need to be here."

"Well, whatever you want. Just stay safe, alright?"

"I will. Here, take this horse."

"Elijah." Aquare said as he and Virden dismounted. "Here you go."

Cress and Elijah mounted the horses given to them, and the two went to join Satin.

However, Terrence stopped Elijah for a quick word.

"Take care of him." The boy said.

"I will." The big guy assured with a nod.

And so the party watched as the childhood friends rode off into the sunset.

Cress spared one last look back at the two kids he had saved. They looked worried...but somehow determined as well.

"They'll be alright." The Hunter told himself. "For now...I should just worry about my life."

...

Terrence and Mai led the others to Cress's hut, where they proceeded to settle in for the night.

But Terrence couldn't sleep at all. He was just too worried about the Hunter who owned the place.

He decided that some fresh air would be good, and he slowly got up. Then he went out the hut as quietly as he could.

But right as he was going out the door, Mai called out to him.

"Terrence?"

He tripped in surprise and hit the ground face first. He quickly got back up and brushed himself off.

"M-Mai!" He hissed, wiping the dirt off his face. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry." She whispered. "Um...you couldn't sleep either?"

"No...I'm too worried about..."

"Cress. Yeah, me too..."

Mai went outside with Terrence, and the two proceeded to sit down and look at the stars.

"This is where the three of us came together." Terrence reminisced. "I have to say, that night wasn't really a good one."

"Yeah." Mai agreed, looking down. "But I'm glad I got to meet you two. I was really lonely out here by myself..."

"I'm glad we got together. I didn't really know where I was or what was happening. You guys gave me the guidance I needed."

Terrence smiled bitterly.

"Even though I'm being put into some crazy adventure, I at least got you and the others with me. To be honest...I don't really believe in myself. But you...Cress...Cid...Aquare..you have some level of belief in me, and I believe in all of you. So..I have to do this. I'm not going to give up until the end."

Mai looked at him in awe, and her ears perked up.

"Terrence..." She said softly.

He looked at her with a grateful smile.

"Thanks for sticking with me." He said. "I may be pathetic...but I promise to do my best for you and my friends."

She blushed upon realizing that he put her above a friend. Her tail waved around happily.

"You're a sap, you know that?" She teased.

"Huh?" He tilted his head.

Then he remembered what he said and turned red as well.

"Uh...I...sorry."

"Heh...it's fine. I'm really happy..."

As much as Terrence wanted to enjoy the moment, other thoughts kept trying to weigh him down.

He sighed sadly. "Still...I feel bad for not being able to help Cress. If I only knew what was wrong with him..."

"I know." Mai became gloomy. "But he wouldn't let us help him anyway..."

"I guess...So let's just hope he gets better."

"Yeah."

The two fell silent and went back to looking at the stars.

After a while, Terrence began to feel drowsy.

Deciding it was time to head back in, he tried to get up. But something had his legs pinned down.

He looked and gasped in surprise when he saw Mai curled up in his lap.

She groaned at the noise and turned over. Her ears ticked a little.

Dammit, she was cute when asleep! Terrence felt his face warm up.

Should he wake her up? She did look comfortable there...

But then again, could he take everyone's teasing later?

The boy glanced down again, and couldn't help but feel good when he saw Mai smiling. He gradually started to drift off.

(Yeah...just stay like this...a peaceful sleep is more important.)

And with that thought, he laid back and fell into a comfortable sleep.

...

After backtracking to the camp at Lisia Lake, Elijah and Satin went into a tent together to get some sleep.

Cress, however, sat at the lake's edge and stared at the moonlit water.

After a while, he decided to summon his bow.

As usual, it blazed into his hand. It still looked so pristine. A timeless artifact from the past.

He pulled the golden string and tried to channel his Imperium, but it didn't work.

"Damn!" He growled. "Why can't I..."

He dismissed Sagittae and pounded the ground in frustration. Then he calmed down.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" He asked himself.

He began to imagine his father's smug face looking at him from underwater.

Cress remembered the man's words from a few days ago.

_"Why are you dressed like that, young lady?"_

His body started shaking.

_"You can't change yourself!"_

_"I wouldn't call her a guest. Just an...abomination."_

"Shut up." Cress said angrily.

_"I doubt you could lay a scratch on me. You are just a weak little girl, after all."_

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

He slapped the image in the lake, splashing water everywhere. Now the Hunter was wet and shivering.

But he didn't care at the moment, as he was caught up in his anxiety.

_"Who are you, really?"_

"Get out of my head!" Cress shouted at the sky.

But those thoughts still tormented him, even when he eventually stumbled into a tent and went to sleep.


	24. Into the Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While looking for the Gobiln nest, the party walks into a trap.

That night, the shouts and yelps of Goblins were echoing throughout a vast dungeon. They came from a cell in the deepest parts of it.

There was a sickening 'crunch' as a Goblin was kicked in the face, knocking it into the wall. It turned to smoke a moment later.

His killer, a girl whose identity was hidden beneath the shadows, groaned in annoyance and shifted a bit. Her wrists were chained to the ceiling, leaving her hanging in the center of the cell.

"You're really getting on my nerves." She complained.

A deep growl came from the shadows behind her, then someone started talking in a monstrous voice.

"How are you still resisting? It's been a little over a week since we captured you."

"Hmph, you underestimate me. I'm never going to bow down to disgusting creatures like you."

CRASH!

The room shook as the monster stomped on the floor.

"You bitch!" He shouted angrily. "Just you wait! We'll have you on the floor, screaming for your daddy while we serve it to you!"

The girl suppressed a shiver.

There were heavy 'thumps' as a hulking figure walked past her, then out the cell.

She let out a tired sigh and let her body become limp.

"I can't last much longer..." She muttered. "Father...anyone...please, help me."

...

Over the next few days, the party wandered through the forest in search of the Goblin nest.

As they traveled, Terrence couldn't help but notice that Lucius seemed particularly wary about something.

When the boy asked one afternoon, the Royal Knight said it was nothing. Terrence couldn't help but still be concerned.

...

After setting up camp for the night, Lucius and Terrence began to train again.

"Everyone has a certain battle style." The blonde instructed. "Some are passed down from a parent or teacher, others are self taught."

Terrence nodded in understanding.

"We Royal Knights pass down our styles to worthy Lieutenants. Not just our styles, but our powers as well. Through Inheritance, the student becomes the master, and takes their place."

Lucius drew his sword, and slowly took his stance.

"As a Hero of Arum, you should also have inherited the style and power of your ancestors. However, that isn't the case. So you must create a style of your own. Now, en garde!"

Terrence took a deep breath, then took up a stance.

"You have proper form, good." Lucius commented. "Light, yet steady. You should be able to dodge easily...if you can react in time."

He suddey lunged at the prince, who quickly sidestepped the attack and retaliated with an uppercut. The Royal Knight swiftly flipped back to avoid it.

Terrence ran towards him and sliced a few times in succession. Lucius easily blocked them all and countered with a swift roundhouse kick, knocking the boy down.

Mai and Aquare winced in sympathy, while Cid and Vivian cheered.

The village boy sat up with a groan, cupping his throbbing cheek. Then he saw Lucius offer him a hand, and accepted it.

"Much better." The Royal Knight said with a proud look. "Keep this up, and you should be a match for the Goblins."

"What about my style?" Terrence asked.

"I can see it's starting to take shape, but it will be a while before it's complete."

"Then can we continue?"

Just as Lucius was about to answer, Viriden called out.

"Dinner's ready, everyone!"

"After we eat." He said in amusement.

He and Terrence joined everyone else at the campfire.

As they ate bowls of hot stew, the boy decided to ask Aquare and Cid something.

"So what's Lorica like?"

The two paused their eating to think about that.

"Well..." Aquare looked a little unsure. "It's been years since we saw each other. But the few times we met, she always had this haughty attitude."

"I mean, Elves are a proud race." Cid frowned. "But damn, she was beyond that. She was always trying to prove that nothing could beat her, and detested those she saw as inferior."

"Which meant me and Cid. Reinhardt has her respect at least."

"Not that I need it." Reinhardt said, hugging Vivian.

"So we got a..." Lucius chose his words carefully. "feisty girl that needs rescuing. I imagine she won't be taking that well."

"No kidding." Terrence muttered, getting a spoonful of stew.

The thought of being seen as a disappointment again made him a little sad, but it also gave him the determination to train harder.

...

The next morning, they all set out once again.

Terrence couldn't help but feel...odd, as they went through the forest. Something was definitely up...but what?

He glanced at Lucius, who was being antsy again. The others took notice of this, and became cautious as well.

"Lucius." Terrence said carefully. "What's going on?"

"Have any of you been sensing the presences around us?" The Royal Knight asked.

The party came to a halt.

Terrence started to sense multiple hostile forces around them, constantly moving through the trees. It was only then that he could hear the faint rustling of leaves.

"We're surrounded." He realized.

"Not just that." Lucius narrowed his eyes. "They've been watching us ever since we left Cress's hut."

Aquare hid behind his retainer's back, shivering in fright.

"So many..." He whimpered.

"Don't panic, Master." Viriden said softly.

"Let's just blast them to bits." Reinhardt suggested, summoning his spear.

"No." Lucius shook his head. "You would be destroying the forest as well. That's not going to settle well with the Elves."

Mai grabbed Terrence's arm, and he gave her a comforting hand on the shoulder.

He looked around, taking in the locations of each each enemy. There had to be a way out...

Then he saw an opening to the southeast, and got everyone's attention.

"Guys! There's a way out of this!"

Terrence led them straight past the hostiles. He sensed them giving chase, still trying to surround him and his friends. But he always found a small opening in the ranks.

After several more successes, the boy began to feel proud of himself. He had actually led everyone to safety.

Then suddenly, the forest gave way to a different place, and the party stopped running.

"What..." Terrence gasped, looking confused.

He was looking at the ruins of a fort. Its stone walls were somewhat cracked and broken in a few places. But the main building still looked fine, if a bit weathered.

Dozens of weapons littered on the ground, too rusty to even use. Beside them were the skull of their owners. Boulders and catapults were scattered about as well.

"What is this place?" The Hero of Light asked, a bit creeped out now.

"This is..." Lucius crossed his arms, frowning. "I think it's Fort Evergreen. It was an Elven base from the First Dark War."

"It hasn't been used since those days." Cid added. "Not with the peace we were having until recently."

"Hey..." Aquare began to realize something. "Does anyone else think we were...intentionally led here?"

Everyone was silent as they let that sink in.

Terrence frantically looked around, and started to sense the hostile presences again.

And not just from the forest...

Suddenly, the party found themselves surrounded by several dozen Goblins. The pig-like monsters were grinning triumphantly at them.

"Yooooou fell for it!" One jeered.

They all started knocking arrows coated in paralyzing liquid.

"Cid! Reinhardt!" Lucius called frantically.

The two immediately started to charge their magic, but they were too late to stop the hail of arrows from reaching their comrades.

Terrence's body once again felt numb, and he fell to the ground along with everyone else.

He could only watch as they struggled in vain to move. Then his view was blocked when the Goblins started to swarm them.

The boy couldn't even let out a scream, only choked gasps as he became extremely frightened. He shut his eyes, and tried to . He ended up blacking out completely.

The last thing he heard was the screams of Aquare and the girls, along with Cid and Reinhardt's shouts of anger.

...

When Terrence woke up, he found himself in the forest again, propped up against a tree. It appeared to be the afternoon.

He looked around, dazed and confused.

After a moment, his vision became clear, and he could see Cid and Lucius tending to some vegetables over a campfire.

There was nobody else around. Terrence remembered what happened back at Fort Evergreen, and immediately stood up.

"What happened to everyone!?" He exclaimed.

Cid and Lucius flinched in shock.

"Damn, calm down " Cid said.

"How can I be calm!? We were ambushed for Christ's sake!"

"Milord," Lucius said carefully. "breathe..We can't explain things to you if you aren't level headed."

Terrence took several deep breathes in order to calm himself. Once he found his rationality, he nodded and sat down between the Dwarf and the Royal Knight.

"Good." Lucius nodded. "So as for what happened to everyone..."

"The Goblins took the girls and Aquare away." Cid explained, looking a bit mad. "Then they dumped us men here, blindfolded."

Terrence was going to ask why Aquare was kidnapped, then he remembered the Nymph's looks. So he went with his next question.

"Where's Reinhardt?"

"He was pissed off. Took to the air the second he could move again. And when Rein is pissed off, may the gods and goddesses have mercy on you."

Suddenly, Terrence heard a faint 'boom' from the distance.

"We got to go back." He said, getting to his feet and summoning Bjartbrandr. "Our friends need us."

"Quick on the uptake." Lucius said, getting up as well. "That's good."

"Then let's go bash some heads!" Cid declared, summoning Iotunnhammar.

...

When they arrived at Fort Evergreen, they found Reinhardt standing amidst burnt grass and smoking rubble.

The Dragoon was barely staying up. Only his rage was keeping him from collapsing.

"Vivian..." He panted, trying to step forward. "Need to..."

Geirdynja flashed out of his hand as he started to fall forward.

Cid managed to catch him before he hit the dirt.

"You did good, Rein." The Dwarve muttered.

"Cid..." Reinhardt sighed. "Vivian is..."

"Don't worry, we're going to save her. But you need to calm down first."

"Here." Lucius brought out a couple of bottles. "A Hi-Potion and an Ether. These should get you into fighting shape."

Reinhardt quickly gulped the liquids down. Within moments, he was back on his feet with his spear in hand. If the sparks around him were of any indication, he was mad and ready to slaughter the ones who took Vivian.

"Let's go." He said with barely contained rage.

He went over to the fort's steel gates and charged up his magic.

"Arcthunder!"

The gates resisted the blast of lightning for a moment. Electricity surged all over them, crackling furiously.

Then the gates started shake, subtly at first, then violently. And finally...

BOOM!

They were blown to bits, and the scrap metal was scattered all around the fort.

Terrence fell back in shock, while Lucius and Cid were pleasantly surprised.

"Damn..." The Dwarf said in awe.

Reinhardt looked back at them and scowled.

"Stop standing there!" He snapped. "Let's get moving!"

He charged in, with Cid and Lucius right behind him.

"I don't want to be around him anymore..." Terrence said, a little scared.

But still, he picked himself up and hurried to catch up with the others.


	25. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrence and the guys go through the dungeon.
> 
> Meanwhile, Aquare and Mai wake up in dark cells.

"Let me go!" Aquare begged as he struggled to break his chains.

He was hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, and was in a dark cell that smelled unpleasant.

The Nymph would have been okay if Viriden was with him...but she had been taken to another cell block entirely. He couldn't even sense her Imperium anymore. He couldn't sense anything at all.

He was alone, helpless, and the Goblins were under the impression that he was a girl.

Aquare already had misgivings since his journey started, but this was the worst.

He tried to break the chains again, but all that got him was another surge of pain. He screamed for the upteenth time that day, them finally went limp.

"Damn..." He muttered, tearing up.

He shouldn't have gone on this journey. Why did he even do it?

Before this happened, he was enjoying a trip with Viriden at the Eros Hot Springs in the South Plains. It was their one year anniversary that day, and it was lovely while it lasted.

Then he got contacted by his mother...

"Dear, I'm sorry to cut your alone time with Viri short." Queen Coraline said with a hing of guilt. "But we have a little problem that needs your attention."

"What is it?" He was slightly cautious.

"Monsters are starting to rise...Maladeus is returning."

"...What? Y-you can't be..."

"I'm having a hard time believing it too...but it's true. My Dear, you have to meet up with Cid and Lorica at Arum Castle Town. The Heroes of Arum must be assembled."

She didn't even give him a second to protest before cutting the connection. So Aquare reluctantly set out, with Viriden following him.

He tried to send her back, but she was more stubborn than she looked.

"You can't do this alone!" She declared, hands on her hips. "I'm going with you, no matter what! And not just because I'm your retainer." She winked. "I'm also your lover, and lovers always take on challenges together!"

Aquare would have protested further...but he was touched by her devotion. So he let her do as she wished, and enjoyed her company.

However, there were doubts in his head as they traveled. After all, the Shield of the Guardian hadn't chosen him. And he was never really a fighter...

Viriden and Coraline believed in Aquare, however. His friends were also there to encourage him. He couldn't really let them down, no matter how scared he was.

But now...no one was with him. He was hopelessly stuck in a cell, all alone. His terrors finally came true.

"I DIDN'T WANT THIS!" The Nymph Prince shouted at the dark ceiling.

"Quiet down!" A girl's voice echoed.

Aquare gasped and turned his head towards the source of the voice. It appeared to come from an adjacent cell.

"Who's there?" He called out.

"Somebody who dislikes being treated disrespectfully. Address me as 'Miss' or 'Milady' from here on, would you?"

Oh great, it was one of 'those' nobles. Aquare sighed in disbelief, but obeyed.

"Milady, how did a noble like yourself end up here?"

"Straight to the point? Well, I was on my way to Arum Castle Town when those pigs jumped me and my escort. We ran, but ended up being chased to this fort. Now I'm here, doing my best to remain a lady while waiting for someone to rescue me. Ugh...I detest this."

Aquare's mind lit up, and he started to figure out who this woman was...

"Uh...Miss, where do you hail from? And who is your family?"

"I come from Grindia, capitol of the Elven kingdom." The woman sounded proud now. "I'm the best swordswoman there. Nay, I'm the best in the Federation." Then she became angry. "I should be staying in a luxurious room...not this filthy place.

Oh gods and goddesses...it was. But just to be sure...

"Lorica?" Aquare called. "Is that you?"

There was a moment of silence, then she answered.

"Yes." She sounded suspicious. "Why?"

"Well, some friends and I were supposed to be rescuing you. Your escort crashed into the meeting we were having with King Randolph and informed us of your capture."

"Wait, you met with the King? But the only people who would be meeting him are-"

Lorica fell silent as she realized who she was talking to.

"...Oh gods and goddesses, you're Aquare aren't you? Are you still pathetic and girly looking?"

"Er...yeah." The Nymph looked down in shame.

"And knowing him, Cid will be here too...Why couldn't have I been rescued by somebody like Reinhardt? At least he has dignity."

Not wanting to be insulted further, Aquare became silent.

...

As luck would have it, there weren't any guards in the entrance hall, likely because of the recent captives.

Horrible scenarios of unspeakable things ran through Terrence's head, and he pushed them aside. He couldn't think of those things, it would just impair his fighting.

"Where are they?" Reinhardt growled, shaking from anger.

"Compose yourself." Lucius said softly. "This is our chance to safely rescue Vivian. She wouldn't like it if you got yourself hurt."

That seemed to calm the Dragoon down a bit, but his voice still had an edge to it.

"Let's not waste any minute."

Nodding in agreement, the party started their search.

There were a few passages to choose from. Two were upstairs, while another two were on the ground floor.

The top floors were immediately eliminated. The captives would be in the dungeons, which would be down below.

Now which way led to the dungeons...

"I think we will be wasting time." Terrence slumped forward.

Just then, they heard the echoes of laughter from the left hallway. A moment later, three Goblins walked into the entrance hall, apparently happy about something.

"You should have seen the look on that boy's face!" The middle one said. "He was so scared, he even fainted!"

"That's fucking hilarious!" The one to his right doubled over. "Your crew is the best!"

"You know-"

The lead Goblin froze when he noticed the party at the fort's entrance. His companions stopped as well.

Terrence glared at them, and his grip on Bjartbrandr tightened.

He remembered his humilation from earlier. He felt ashamed for being so weak, and very angry for not being able to do anything.

He bared his teeth at the creatures, and stepped forward.

Immediately, the Goblins turned and ran. But Reinhardt flew overhead at great speed and blocked their way.

They turned again, but found a serious Cid charging over. Now they were trapped.

"You're going to tell us where the captives are." Lucius said darkly, stepping up to the Goblins. "Every...single...one. Then maybe you will die painlessly."

As the four men closed in, Goblins shrank back and cowered in fear.

"Last chance." Lucius warned.

He pressed his sword against the leader's stomach, and it finally caved in.

"Okay! I'll tell you, just don't torture me!"

"Spill it!" Cid snapped.

"We got five different cell blocks! One for each of the three Goblin Lord and the High Leader! The fifth is for us in the low ranks!"

"After his death, Borg the Ravager's captives were moved to Halvar the Breaker's cell block!" The left Goblin informed. "You will find the young Nymph and Elf there!"

"What about the Cait Sith and the Angel?" Terrence asked.

"They're in Dorcas the Splitter's cell block!"

"The older Nymph is with our High Leader." The third Goblin concluded hastily. "All the women there are his brides, and create future generations!"

Terrence nearly fainted again from the disgust he felt. He and the others HAD to stop this.

"Where are these cell blocks?" Lucius inquired, looking disgusted as well.

After the Goblins told him the directions, he gave a curt nod.

"Thank you. Now good day."

Then in one fluid motion, all three Goblin heads were sliced off. Lucius immediately turned to the left hallway.

"We have their locations, now let's go."

...

When Mai woke up, she found herself hanging by her wrists, in a dark and musty cell.

She tried to sense her friends, but it was like a fog was covering everything. She was practically blind to the presences of others.

She tugged on a chain, but it held strong. She looked down in shame.

"I guess this is what I deserve." She muttered.

Maybe if she had shown her power earlier, this wouldn't have happened.

Sure, the others would treat her like the Plague, but at least they would be safe.

Suddenly, pain enveloped her entire body. She let out an earsplitting scream, and darkness emanated from her now bestial eyes.

Then as quickly as it started, it was gone.

Mai felt normal again, but the episode left her tired and scared.

"It's getting worse..." She whimpered. "Why can't you just get out of me?"

Her ears ticked when someone called out to her from an adjacent cell.

"Mai?"

The Cait Sith took a moment to recognize the voice, then turned to it.

"Vivian!" She called out, relieved. "Are you alright?"

"I am, but...what about you?"

"W-what are you talking about?"

"You sounded hurt a moment ago. What happened."

Mai couldn't tell the Angel. Nobody, for that matter...

"I just twisted my wrist too far." She lied, biting hed lip. "These chains aren't getting broken anytime soon."

"Oh..."

"Viv...are you scared? Reinhardt isn't here, you know."

"I know."

Vivian sounded oddly calm, maybe even a bit happy.

"Are you scared?" Mai repeated, tilting her head.

"No." Vivian said chirped. "Because I know my Rein will come for me, along with the others. You should believe in them too, that will keep you from falling into despair.

The Cait Sith was surprised, but...Vivian had a point. Believe in their friends...

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

...

As the party traversed the dungeon, Terrence realized something was wrong.

He was trying to sense the Imperium of the Goblins, but it was like fog was filling up the hallways. The only presences he could sense were his three friends nearby, and even theirs were faint.

"You guys can't sense anything?" Terrence wondered.

They all stopped at a branching point.

"No." Lucius grimaced.

Cid and Reinhardt shook their heads.

"Lucky we know where to go." The Dwarf said with a frown. "But we're going in blind here. Stay vigilant, alright?"

The 'clack' of toenails against the floor alerted the party to a Goblin wandering the dungeon. Based on how eratic the steps were, the creature was probably drunk.

When it came from the left path, it was indeed dazed and red in the face. If this was a less serious situation, Terrence would have laughed.

But right now, he was close to panicking. What if the Goblin saw everyone?

Surprisingly, nothing bad happened.

Instead, the Goblin eagerly shook a shocked Cid's hand and laughed.

"Youuuuuu're la-hic-late!" The creature slurred, pointing at all of them. "Allll of you arrrre! Go annnd join the par-hic-ty!"

Then it stumbled past them, cheering in drunken joy.

When it was gone, Terrence sighed in relief.

"Looks like we won't be in trouble." He remarked. "We can move fast now."

"Then let's hurry." Lucius urged.

Remembering the directions, the party went down the middle path.

Moments later, they found the first cell block.

Walls of stone which were a little moldy. It wasn't as disgusting as the floors, however. The smell of the place was horrible too.

It was enough to make Terrence turn back and throw up somewhere in the hallway.

When he came back, Cid gave him a soft pat.

"You'll toughen up soon enough." He assured.

"Uh huh..." Terrence muttered.

"Who's there?" The quiet voice called.

The group turned to see a Human woman peeking through the bars of a cell. They went over immediately.

"We're here to save you." Lucius said gently, placing a hand over his heart. "I'm a Royal Knight from Arum, these are my comrades."

"Oh, thank the Lords and Ladies!" The woman cried. "It was horrible here!"

"Someone's here to rescue us?" A girl spoke up.

"Is this true?" Another said.

Soon, all of the captives were cheering and crying in relief. Terrence couldn't help but feel horrified at the number of prisoners. There were three dozen in this block alone...

"How many prisoners are there?" He inquired.

"I think over two hundred." A captive answered sadly. "These...beasts are insatiable. I feel so filthy..."

A few others muttered similar sentiments. Lucius gave each of them a determined look.

"I promise we will slay every last one of these vile creatures." He declared. "All of you will be saved, and I will make sure you get your happy lives back."

"Thank you, Sir Royal Knight!" The prisoners cried in a mix of smiles and tears.

Terrence watched this in disbelief. How can one guy have that much charisma?

"Now then, let's work on getting you all out." Lucius turned to Terrence. "Milord, here's where your next lesson begins. I want you to channel your Imperium into your weapon, and unleash it for a powerful attack."

He gestured to the cell they were in front of.

"Strike those bars! And milady, please stand back!"

Terrence nodded, then stepped up to the steel bars and held his sword forward.

The boy closed his eyes, and focused on his Imperium. This pool of life within him...if he could just use it...

He took a deep breath, and tried to pour energy into his sword.

There was nothing for a moment, then he started to feel a warmth deep in his heart. His energy pulsed, then started to fly towards Bjartbrandr.

Its blade glowed bright, now filled with power. Terrence's eyes shot open and he quickly swung twice.

There was a flash as his sword struck the cell's bars. They were still for a second, then they split apart and fell to the floor.

The woman in the cell stepped into the light.

Her clothes were torn to shreds, and what she did have intact was all dirty. But she still looked at the party with a joyous expression.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed.

Terrence smiled at her, but then he fell back. For some reason, he felt exhausted already.

Cid helped him up and slammed him on the back.

"Nice for your first try!" He praised. "We just need to work on your stamina!"

Terrence gave a weak smile and nodded.

"Good work." Lucius said proudly.

He looked at the rest of the cells, then flourished his sword.

"Now then, let's get to work."


End file.
